University of North Carolina Athletics
Brandon Spoon On The Road To Recovery
November 3, 1999 | Football
Nov. 3, 1999
randon Spoon |
Then, in the second game of the season, the heart and soul of the Tar Heels' defense tore his left biceps tendon and was lost for the year. The resilient Spoon has once again come back from adversity and is tackling rehabilitation the way he does running backs.
TarHeelBlue talks to a classy kid who's going to give us all another year to yell "Spooooooooooon!!!"
TarHeelBlue: How is your arm doing now?
Brandon Spoon: "It's a whole lot better. I'm in week seven now. It's a struggle having to sit and watch my teammates play, but I'm doing what the doctors say. I'm doing my rehab hard and taking one day at a time, but overall it's doing really well."
TarHeelBlue: Tell me about your rehab routine.
Brandon Spoon: "Usually, in the mornings I come in and do some shoulder work to work on the atrophy, then in the afternoon I'll work on my range of motion and my biceps work. I split it up...I do rehab work twice a day, but just not the same thing.
"I'm doing some light work with some curls, and I'm still trying to work out my upper and lower body every day. I'm trying to stay in the best shape I can."
TarHeelBlue: Will you be ready for spring practice?
Brandon Spoon: "Yea, I'll be ready for spring practice, that'll be no problem. We'll have to see how much the doctors and coaches will let me do. There's no sense in injuring it in the spring."
TarHeelBlue: Do you think you'll be 100% by the fall?
Brandon Spoon: "Oh definitely, I'll be 100% by the spring according to the doctors. But why risk doing too much in the spring? Let's save it for the fall."
TarHeelBlue: Tell me what you thought when you first realized you would be out for the season.
Brandon Spoon: "I was mad. I was really upset at first. It scared me because it was my senior year, and I didn't know what was going to happen. But after ten minutes or so I got myself together and realized that it happened for a reason.
"I went into the locker room and stayed by myself for a while. I started thinking it would work out one way or another. I've been through worse than this with my father. It's just football, and I just remembered that. I take things in stride one day at a time. After the initial shock I was fine."
TarHeelBlue: Is there a "silver lining" to your injury?
Brandon Spoon: "I really think so. I want to be out there playing, but I'll be back next year and we'll have an improved team."
TarHeelBlue: Do you still have the same marriage plans?
Brandon Spoon: "Still the same plans. I don't think I have too much say so in that."
TarHeelBlue: Your fiancee (Abby Melvin) is a year behind you in school. Is she kind of happy that she'll get to finish at UNC instead of taking classes elsewhere next year if you hadn't gotten hurt?
Brandon Spoon: "Yes. She gets to finish up here now. Our plans are a lot different than what they were. When we first got engaged my plans were to be in the NFL next year or working somewhere, but now I'm just a broke student again. We'll have to make some changes in what we've planned, but it'll be fine.
"I'm looking forward to it. It'll be a lot more relaxing and calm. It will be a lot different that having two or three roommates with stuff always going on."
TarHeelBlue: When is the big date?
Brandon Spoon: "July 8 in Graham, N.C. at Abby's church."
TarHeelBlue: How frustrating has it been for you to have to be on the sidelines watching?
Brandon Spoon: "I realized how boring watching football is. I hate having to watch football. I don't even like going back to watch high school games. I don't enjoy watching it in person because I want to be out there playing.
"I can watch it all day on television because I can change the channel or whatever, but on the sideline it's terrible. It's so frustrating to see my teammates going through so much adversity and I can't help them.
"There's so much I want to say and do, but I can't. There's certain things I can say, but they won't mean anything since I'm not out there at war with them every play. It's a whole other experience for me, and it's very humbling."
TarHeelBlue: Were you ever hurt in high school?
Brandon Spoon: "No, just some very minor injuries. I never missed a game in high school or college. It's a whole new role I've taken on this year."
TarHeelBlue: Were you ever close to not coming back?
Brandon Spoon: "Yes. I think I was initially afterwards. I was so frustrated that I had worked so hard and didn't get a chance to do anything.
"I wanted a new routine. I was so ready to move on and take it to the next level. Everything starts to move at a slower pace for you on the field. That's when you know that you can move on. It's like when I was a senior in high school. Everything seemed a step slower to me, and I could see things so much easier.
"That's the way it was starting to seem to me this year, and I was ready to take the next step up and play in the NFL."
TarHeelBlue: What caused you to change your mind?
Brandon Spoon: "I just wanted to come back and have fun again. I honestly had more fun than I've ever had in my life in the first game (Virginia). That's the most fun I've had playing since high school.
"The pressure was on me. The spotlight was on me. I was at a new position, outside linebacker, and I was having a blast. I was running around a lot more and getting a lot more freedom. I finally felt like I was on top for once, and I was having a great time.
"I realized how much fun that was, and I don't want to play football as a business just yet. I want to come back and have fun for a year."
TarHeelBlue: You're a really good student in the business school. When do you plan to graduate?
Brandon Spoon: "I could graduate in May, but I'll save one class for the fall. I'll just be a football player and have some fun.
"I'll hold over a class that I need to graduate. I'll probably hold over a pretty easy class. My major is football in the fall of next year."
Joe Bray
TarHeelBlue.com
