As bad as Ware's injury was — and it was bad — there are several players who've recently gone on to fruitful athletic careers after such horrific setbacks.
Image by The University Of Louisville / Reuters
After seeing Louisville guard Kevin Ware's lower right leg break Sunday during the NCAA Tournament, it was hard not to think he might never play basketball again. Fortunately, it appears that this armchair prognosis is not correct; although Ware faces a lengthy rehabilitation process, Louisville's sports medicine director, Fred Hina, said he will play again. Indeed, the four young athletes who've suffered injuries as dramatically devastating as Ware's in recent years have all gone on to resume their careers at a high level.
Michael Bush — 746 NFL carries since breaking his leg
The injury that mostly closely resembles Ware's also happened to a Louisville player, and both Rick Pitino and Hina used it as a reference point for his recovery process. During the opening game of his senior season, running back Michael Bush broke his right leg while being tackled. The injury that Bush suffered, which kept him out for the entirety of his senior season, was so similar to Ware's that Bush said he cried after seeing Ware get hurt on Sunday and called him afterward to wish him well. After being selected in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Draft, Bush sat out his rookie season and then returned to the field in 2008; he's since played in 74 games over five seasons for two NFL teams.