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Jesuit Coach Says Former Player Will Turn Paralysis Into Inspiration

  •  Bob Moffitt 
Tuesday, May 9, 2017 | Sacramento, CA
  

A UC Berkeley student from El Dorado Hills is paralyzed following an injury he received during a national championship rugby match this weekend. Robert Paylor, a sophomore at Cal, was carried off the field Saturday in Santa Clara.

Paylor went to Jesuit High School in Carmichael. John Shorey is the school’s head rugby coach. He says it took his breath away when he learned his former player had been paralyzed.

"He is the biggest teddy bear you'll ever see, 6'5", 240 lbs. He would come (to visit). He has this big ole goofy smile, 'Coach Shorey, how are you?!?' And he'd pick me off the ground and throw me around. Just a lovable guy," says Shorey. "And on the field a man amongst boys --very tough, very hard worker. But off the field, the nicest guy, plays the horn, he's in a band. You know, a renaissance guy."

In 40 years of coaching and playing, Shorey says he's never seen a player get injured the way Paylor did during the match between Cal and Arkansas State.

"They were pushing forward and it fell and collapsed and he unfortunately got in a real bad position and a lot of pressure came onto him --an absolute freak accident," says Shorey.

Shorey describes Paylor as "a leader" even as an underclassman. The coach says the kids at Jesuit were shaken by the injury. But he says Paylor will turn this into a positive.

"He's such an amazing young man. He's a guy who can get through this he has tremendous faith a tremendous outlook on life," says Paylor. "I think someday he will probably be the guy to inspire millions of other people who are battling through similar situations."

Shorey says his team, which includes Paylor's younger brother, will dedicate its upcoming national championship game to Robert.

A statement from his family says Paylor is currently working on stabilizing his condition so he can start rehabilitation.

It says the injury paralyzed his lower body with limited motion in his arms.


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    Related Stories

  • Paralyzed Cal Rugby Player Now Has Feeling In Extremities

    Friday, May 26, 2017
    There is good news to report from Santa Clara, where Cal Rugby player Robert Paylor is in a hospital for a spinal injury he suffered two weeks ago. Paylor has regained some feeling in his hands and feet, though he is unable to move them.
  • Jesuit High School Grad Paralyzed In CAL Rugby Match

    Wednesday, May 10, 2017
    Cal’s Rugby team won the national title on Saturday, but in the course of play center Robert Paylor was injured and is now paralyzed from the waist down. John Shorey was Robert’s coach at Jesuit High School and talks about his time with Paylor.
  • Jesuit Grad Paralyzed During Cal Rugby Game

    Tuesday, May 9, 2017
    Robert Paylor plays Rugby for UC Berkeley and was carried off the field during Saturday's national championship match in Santa Clara.
  • Bob Moffitt / Capital Public Radio

    The Sacramento Connection: Local Boys On The Pitch For Cal Rugby

    Friday, November 6, 2015
    The Cal rugby team has won 29 championships in 36 years, 25 of them with their current coach. A lot of Sacramento-area boys from high schools like Jesuit, Davis, Dixon, McClatchy, and Granite Bay have contributed to those wins.

 rugbyinjuries

Bob Moffitt

Former Sacramento Region Reporter

Bob reported on all things northern California and Nevada. His coverage of police technology, local athletes, and the environment has won a regional Associated Press and several Edward R. Murrow awards.  Read Full Bio 

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