The road to recovery begins now for Southern wide receiver Devon Gales and he has thousands of fans and the University of Georgia that will support him along the way.

Dr. Brock Bowman, Gales’ primary care physician, said that it’s too early to tell if he’ll regain use of his legs or fingers during a press conference Thursday from The Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

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Gales was rushed to Athens Regional Medical Center following last weekend’s injury at Georgia and was transferred to the rehabilitation center for brain and spinal injury patients on Wednesday.

“Neurological injuries progress very slowly, and we have to take it with patience and (go) step-by-step. He’s doing a great job so far, and the family appears upbeat,” Bowman said. “(He’ll) potentially be here about eight weeks, possibly longer than that.

Bowman revealed Gales suffered a fracture of his C6 vertebrae and had it repaired during surgery on Sunday.

The outpouring of support from Georgia Athletics and coach Mark Richt has been tremendous since Saturday afternoon. Georgia paid for airfare so that Gales’ parents could see him Saturday night and Southern University has set up a relief fund to help offset medical expenses.