Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Jan. 4, 2007, edition 1 / Page 15
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3C SPORTS^fic Charlotte ^o«t Thursday, January 4, 2007 Morgan OK to play in 2007 Continued from page 1C Panthers’ final team meet ing. “I felt great. I felt I was going to do real well and I went up there and did real well on all my testing. It ended up good. They cleared me and it felt hke a weight was lifted off my shoulders.” Morgan, the Pantiiers’ first-round pick in 2001, suf fered his first concussion as a pro in 2003. He missed four more games in 2004 witli another concussion. He then suffered one in the presea son and another in the loss to Atlanta in Week 1 this year. Studies have shown play- - ers with multiple concus sions are more likely to siof- fer more concussions with less contact, so there were questions that Morgan may not be able to return again - joining players such as Ttoy Aikman and Steve Young who had their careers cut short by multiple concus sions. But Morgan claims he’s not' hesitant about returning. “Not at all. I feel fine and finm the outside people are alwaj^ going to draw their own conclusions about how I feel and what happened,” Morgan said. “But I feel great. I’ve had a lot of time to heal up. I feel ready to play and I’m excited to come back next season.” The Panthers could des perately use a healthy Morgan. Carolina ended a disappointing 8-8 season Sunday that was filled with numerous injuries to key playm^. Chris Draft eventu ally replaced Morgan, but the entire linebackers unit strug^ed- “It’s been real difficult, especially when you want to be out there helping your team,” Morgan said. “Seeing them struggle was hard, too. There’s always next year and I’m going to come back next year better than ever.” The Panthers signed him to a five-year, $28 million contract before the 2005 sea son, a move criticized by many because of Morgan’s history of injuries. He’s missed 40 games in his six- year career. The Panthers also had so much money tied to Morgan they let fellow hnebacker Will TOtherspoon leave via fi:ee agency to St. Louis last offseason. . But getting Morgan cleared v'as a bit of good news for Carolina as players packed up their belongings and headed home after a brief team meeting. “It was 1he first thing I asked him and he said, Yes ‘ I’m cleared,”’ safety Mike Minter said. “That’s the greatest thing, seeing him healthy and being able to come back and play” As Morgan left the stadi- iun with a trash bag full of gear, he sounded confident he’d prove wrong critics who question whether he’U be able to stay on the field next season. “They feel I’m healed up and I’m ready to go,” Morgan said. “Obviously if they felt I would go out there and hurt myself they wouldn’t have cleared me. I feel great. It’s nothing that I’m worried about and I’m excited to get out there next year.” BOJANGLE S THRILLER PHOTO/PAUL WILLIAMS II Charlotte’s ultimate source for HBCU sports. tlTlie Cljarlottc l^ost Charlotte Christian out lasted Victory Christian 69-63 in overtime of the local boys’ championship game at the Bojangles Shootout last week at Cricket Arena. Victory Christian’s Sidney McClettie (22 top) goes up for a shot. Left: Charlotte Christian’s Carson Sullivan, who hit all five shots for 10 points in the game, defends against Victory Christian’s Alvin Riley. OrJitaniilHyiappeirsmtlesjolfetoia OtteiSpeakeistoteSMOMcecI REGISTERONLINE TODAY! www.CII3A.oig orl)YplioiieatIM,I1I.M35 A TOWN HALL MEETING |iiiiuiirfy,2i The Charlotte Convention Centef FRIDAY; S;ipm-»pm #TiE WARNER ^ CABLE § BamldlAmerica'f’ PHOTO/CURTIS WILSON
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