Rumors surfaced earlier today that BYU’s Devin Mahina had suffered a fractured neck. In fact, the tight end himself had added some significant fuel to the rumor mill, taking a picture of himself in a neck brace that made its way across the vast expanses of the Web.
Unfortunately, those rumors have officially come to fruition as head coach Bronco Mendenhall confirmed that Mahina has a small fracture in his neck. The injury will sideline the sophomore for the entire 2011 season.
“It’s an unfortunate injury. We’re happy that we found it and that he didn’t get injured any worse than he did,” said offensive coordinator Brandon Doman. “Anytime there’s a fracture in any part of your neck, that’s pretty scary. The wrong twist or the wrong hit could have been real severe.”
Perhaps the most amazing part of the entire story is that Mahina actually practiced with the injury for the past two weeks, until medical tests performed the past two days revealed the fracture.
“Imagine having a fracture in your neck and hitting guys for two weeks,” Doman said.
Mahina’s 11 catches for 118 yards in 2010 were tops for Cougars tight ends. He had been vying for a starting job throughout summer camp, but that job will now likely go to Austin Holt.