These guys sure get sore
Injuries are a part of football, and WSU defensive ends Adam Braidwood and Mkristo Bruce have played with pain at times in 2005. Since the wear and tear tends to get to players late in the season, it seemed logical to ask them about the worst injuries they’ve dealt with – and how long it takes to feel normal once again after the season’s through.
AB: I’ve never been hurt my whole life until this year. I hurt my elbow and my shoulder. They both sucked. They both hurt. My arm swelled up and I can see the tendon where it snapped.
MB: I think the nastiest thing that happened to me was in a basketball game in high school. I put my hand down and some 6-8 center came down and stepped on it, broke a bone in half. Last year I dislocated my pinky and it was sideways. It freaked me out.
AB: That was funny. I started laughing when I saw it. He was like, “Help! Somebody help! You – help!”
MB: I didn’t know what was going on. I was looking at my glove and my finger was backward. I was like, “Aaaah!” I was asking (defensive coordinator Robb) Akey to help me. He was like, “No. Go back in the huddle.” He didn’t know what was going on.
S-R: You’ve got a knee injury this year, too, right?
MB: Yeah. Linemen just love to dive instead of blocking. They’d rather hold you and dive at your legs.
AB: I broke my nose once. That was pretty bloody.
MB: At USC I got kicked in the mouth and I got stitches. That’s why I have this beard. The stitches, I just got them out (this week). I had stitches for a week. This guy made fun of me every day.
AB: He had a fat lip.
MB: I have pictures of it. LenDale White kicked me right in the mouth after a play.
AB: You can’t really practice too much (when you’re injured).
MB: Well, look at Braidwood. He’s got a brace on every joint.
AB: Yeah, I’m a little banged up. The elbow’s better, but the shoulder’s worse.
MB: That’s the worst thing, at the end of the year everything aches.
S-R: How long does it take to recover after a season is over?
AB: I don’t know, because (they’ve) got us lifting and running the next day. You never really know. I felt pretty good last Christmas after having that month off.