Photo: Southern's Devon Gales begins rehab process

A new photo of injured Southern University player Devon Gales going through injury rehab was recently released by The Shepherd Center in Atlanta.

Gales sustained a spinal injury during the Jaguars’ game against Georgia on Sept. 26 in Athens.

The injury occurred during a kickoff return. Gales suffered several fractures in his spine. He had surgery the following day, and spent the remainder of that weekend hospitalized in Athens. He moved to the Shepherd Center for rehab on Sept. 30.

Gales is wearing a Georgia jacket in the photo. He has gotten a lot of support from the university and Bulldogs fans. The night of the injury, the university paid to fly Gales’ parents from Louisiana to Georgia. A number of people from UGA, including head coach Mark Richt, have visited Gales in the hospital. A week after Gales’ injury, his family was honored during a special pre-game ceremony before the Bulldogs’ game against Alabama.

“Mr. Gales and his family are appreciative for the outpouring of support from the public, but have requested privacy at this time,” The Shepherd Center said in a statement.

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Southern University has established a fundraising account (https://netcommunity.sus.edu/the-devon-gales-fund) to help Gales and his family with medical expenses.