Ten weeks after sustaining a severe spinal cord injury. Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett was released from Houston’s Memorial Hermann/TIRR where he spent the past two months in rehab. In a statement released by the hospital, Kevin said:

“While this news is a significant milestone for me, I still have a long journey to full recovery. I was fortunate to meet many extraordinary people at Memorial Hermann/TIRR, many who have suffered the same or similar injury as myself, many of whom I now consider friends. Their courage and determination inspired me to fight every day for recovery of my ability to walk.”

In a surprise to everyone in the press box (and the entire stadium, too, I’m sure) at last night’s Bills / Patriots game, an inspirational 25-second message from Kevin appeared on the Ralph Wilson Stadium video scoreboard. You could have heard a pin drop. It was amazing that over 70,000 frenzied fans could be that quiet. It’s such great news to hear that Kevin is well on the road to recovery. Check out my story on Kevin’s New Era cap.

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Kevin Everett Released From Hospital, Buffalo Bills TE Sends Message to Team, City

When Buffalo Bills TE Kevin Everett went down with a potentially life-threatening, temporarily paralyzing spinal cord injury on a special teams play in the team’s first game of this 2007 season against Denver, it left not only the Western New York community but the entire country at attention on his road to recovery. Not long after that opening game, Buffalo-based New Era Cap Company, the largest sports-licensed headwear company in the world, created the “KE85″ cap in Kevin’s honor. New Era Corporate Communications Manager Dana Marciniak gave me all the details.

How did the idea for this cap come about? Well, it was actually Brian Moorman’s idea. He came to us and wanted to know if we could make a cap honoring Kevin. And that’s really all we needed.

Is it true Brian and some of the other Bills players were involved in the design? Definitely. Brian, J.P. Losman, Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish all came to our headquarters one night after practice and sat with one of our designers. They decided everything from the style of caps to the colors to the actual design. And, of course, the phrase on back (keep reading below). They were here for about an hour and had fun looking at — and trying on — all the caps!

How many versions are there to choose from? There are five! We have the signature 59FIFTY, which is the fitted cap; our 39THIRTY, which is a stretch fit cap; two adjustable styles and one just for women — it’s made to fit women’s heads perfectly!

You mentioned the phrase on the back: Adversity Introduces us to Ourselves — a powerful statement. I know. The guys took about a week to come up with it and it really does hit home. It’s something we can all relate to.

And the proceeds go to Kevin’s charity? Yes, his charity, which will support spinal cord research, is still being established, but every penny will go right to that.

Have you heard from Kevin or his family on what he thinks of it? We’ve heard he loves it and can’t believe we made it for him. WGRZ (Channel 2 in Buffalo) actually has a reporter down there this week talking to Kevin and she brought a cap with her to get his family’s reaction! So watch for it.

His story really seems like a miracle, especially in how far he has come after the initial prognosis. Absolutely. And the caps are not only to raise money, but to let him know he’s not forgotten by the team or the fans!

Where can fans get the caps? They’re only available in our flagship store in Buffalo, NY. But if there are Buffalo fans out there who really, really want one, they can send me a check (made out to Kevin Everett) and a note with what style they want (the 59FIFTY is $20, all the others are $15), I’ll get one out to them. The address is: New Era Cap, Attn: Dana Marciniak, 160 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14202.

Photo by David Kindervater

Post from: Every Morning Quarterback

Adversity Introduces Us To Ourselves: New Era Cap Honors Buffalo Bills Kevin Everett