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Devon Gales has had several difficult weeks since a neck injury in a football game left him paralyzed and hospitalized.
But many people have reached out to the Southern wide receiver to try to keep his spirits up as he goes through an intense rehabilitation. Including the Georgia Bulldogs, who were playing Southern the day Gales was injured. And Gales’ own school and team.
And now another football team.
On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons welcomed Gales as their special guest for their game with the Indianapolis Colts. He was given a Falcons jersey with his name and No. 33 on it. Then he watched Sunday’s game from the sideline in his wheelchair at the Georgia Dome.
Here is Gales talking with Falcons head coach Dan Quinn before the game:
Having a great day with Coach @FalconsDQ and the Falcons. pic.twitter.com/6qDQXBtv21
— Devon J. Gales (@IAmDevonGales) November 22, 2015
Several Falcons players, including wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White, took time to visit with him before the game. The Falcons lost to the Indianapolis Colts, 24-21, but that didn’t keep Gales from having a great day, as he indicated in his tweet.
It was the second day in a row that a football team had welcomed Gales at its stadium. On Saturday, Georgia welcomed him back to Sanford Stadium as a special guest. He watched from the sideline as Georgia defeated Georgia Southern 23-17 in overtime.
RELATED: Two months after spinal injury, Devon Gales will attend Saturday’s Georgia game | Video: Southern’s Devon Gales, UGA’s Marshall Morgan share warm embrace pre-game
Gales was injured on a kickoff return during Southern’s game with Georgia on Sept. 5. He suffered several spinal fractures in his neck, which left him paralyzed. After the injury, Gales had surgery on his neck in Athens, but was moved to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta shortly after the surgery, and has been there ever since. The Shepherd Center is considered one of the top facilities in the nation for people with spinal cord injuries.
RELATED: Injured Southern WR Devon Gales taking the grueling recovery process day by day
A number of people from the University of Georgia, including football coach Mark Richt, have visited Gales regularly. The Bulldogs honored Gales by putting a blue No. 33 decal on their helmets. The university and its alumni have also helped raise money to cover some of Gales’ medical expenses.
