Tyson Gentry speaks out

It is said of some people that they command attention as soon as they stride into the room. Tyson Gentry, however, commanded attention as he wheeled into the newly renovated Ohio State locker room at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.

The junior walk-on punter/wide receiver for the Buckeyes spoke to the media Thursday for the first time since suffering a serious neck injury during spring football practice. Gentry, equipped with a motorized wheelchair and a brace on his right wrist, spoke about his rehabilitation, the nature of his injury and what could come next – often with a big smile on his face.

With a weak voice, Gentry thanked all the fans and players who had shown their support for him during the past three months since his injury.

"I feel a lot better," he said. "I've noticed a lot of improvement. When I started off, I could move my right arm a little bit and my left arm I couldn't move at all. Things have definitely gotten stronger."

The injury occurred during a spring scrimmage April 14 after Gentry attempted to catch a pass. He said he was not hit hard, but rather just fell awkwardly.

"I didn't black out at all," he said. "It's definitely strange that it actually happened. I remember catching the ball and putting my feet down to turn upfield and the ball kind of slipped and I think I went down to kind of grab it and I went right down to the ground. It wasn't even kind of a hit. The way that my head went down, it kind of went to the side. That's pretty much how it happened."

Gentry has full movement in his upper body and visibly moved both his shoulders and arms during the press conference. He has sensation all over his body and can feel touch, but he does not feel hot, cold or pain yet aside from isolated instances of pain in his arms.

Since the incident, Gentry has lost 25 pounds. In addition to the injury and surgeries to repair the damage done, he has developed a staph infection in his back as well as a urinary tract infection. Both have contributed to his lack of appetite and subsequent weight loss.

Gentry was joined at the press conference by his father Bob Gentry, mother Gloria Gentry and sister Ashley Gentry. Bob opened the conference with a statement while mother Gloria spoke a few times as well. She also held a plastic mug with a straw for Tyson to drink out of.

"For me and I think for my whole family it's not hard to look at this and just kind of say this is what we've been dealt," Ashley said. "To start with the point of 'why me, why me' you put yourself behind. (We're) just taking this as a starting point and moving on from here."

After spending time in three separate care facilities, Tyson is headed home to an apartment he shares with Ashley, who plays volleyball for Capital University. He is enrolled in fall classes at Ohio State and actually finished one class he was taking during spring quarter that he needed in order to continue his double major of psychology and speech pathology.

Despite the progress he's made, the path for Gentry does not get any easier. He is currently undergoing therapy to strengthen his muscles and said he has been given signs to look for from other people who have suffered similar injuries.

"There are certain things that are definitely good signs (like) if you can feel pinpricks and tell it's a sharp sensation," he said. "I have felt some pain in my arms, so I've come a long way."

OSU head coach Jim Tressel said he would not be surprised to see Gentry continue to make progress in his recovery.

"If anyone will do everything that he can possibly do to improve, it'll be him," Tressel said. "He works. I've been over there when he's been in rehab. That staff just works like crazy with the people. Some people call it 'the boot camp.' He's a guy that I think will progress."

The injury suffered by Gentry was officially classified as a "Level 4 spinal injury," he said. He broke his C-4 vertebrae, requiring doctors to fuse his C-3 and C-5 vertebrae to his C-4 in order to provide stability. The procedure took two surgeries – one from the front, one from the back – to complete.

The prognosis for Gentry remains up in the air. He has no timetable for when he could walk again. Doctors have told him "not to expect anything," he said.

But not expecting anything and not planning anything are two separate entities. Gentry said his goal remains to make a complete recovery.

"The whole Buckeye family has been amazing through this whole thing," he said. "One of the cards that I got said 'if one Buckeye is down then we're all down.' "