This is a hell of a story. Seeing Dan Mason out there — and looking really good — is more than a little surprising.
Doctors initially told Mason it was highly doubtful he would return to play football. Mason refused to listen.
He underwent five operations and spent countless hours doing rehab, working on flexibility in his knee, cutting, strengthening and generating nerve function again. He was able to run at full speed eight months after the surgery and was able to return to the practice field last season.
But his participation was limited while he worked to regain his nerve function and he never played in a game.
“The toughest time for me was basically last football season,” he said. “I saw everybody getting ready to go out and play. I wanted to be out there, too. I wasn’t ready yet, so I had to sit back and watch. It was a hard time.”
He tried to be a coach on the field and then joined the scout team, beginning in Week 4. That allowed him to get in football shape and even take a few hits to his knee.
“It was on my mind a lot last year, and I was being cautious on what I was doing,” he said. “Now when I’m out there, I don’t even think about it. I go. I feel that good.”
That, however, is not the issue. Despite the numerous surgeries and gruesomeness of the injury, the knee is fine. It was fine last year. The issue is the nerve damage.
