Injured Ball State receiver expected not to play football again

Update: According to a Ball State press release, Dante Love's injury was so severe in nature that his football career is expected to be over.

However, the release states after a rehabilitation period, Love should be able to live a normal and healthy life.

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Ball State wide receiver Dante Love suffered a cervical spine fracture in Saturday’s game against IU.

Love underwent about five hours of surgery in Indianapolis late Saturday night into Sunday morning, according to a press release.

“Dante Love suffered a cervical spine fracture and spinal cord injury which required surgery to stabilize the fracture,” said Ball State team physician and orthopedic surgeon Jay Matchett in the statement. “He is currently moving all four extremities.”

Concern over the injury was apparent in Cardinals coach Brady Hoke’s post-game press conference.

“I’m going to be real brief, because I want to go see how Dante Love is doing,” Hoke said before abruptly ending the conference less than 30 seconds later to go to his athlete’s side.

Hoke was with Love throughout the night.

“We were told the surgery went well,” Hoke said in the statement. “Sunday morning, Dante was alert and extremely tired. His attitude and spirits are high, and we are praying for him right now.”

Love left the game midway through the first quarter in Saturday’s showdown in Bloomington.

He made a two-yard reception and turned upfield before taking a jarring hit from IU freshman cornerback Chris Adkins.

The ball came loose from Love’s grasp, which led to a Hoosier recovery and touchdown by Nick Polk.

The play rocked Memorial Stadium to its loudest point in a 42-20 IU loss. But fans on either side of the ball didn’t remain boisterous for very long, as Love lay motionless near IU’s sideline.

Coaches, players and referees formed a wall around the injured Cardinal, preventing any celebrating Hoosier not aware of what happened from trampling the fallen player.

After a nearly 15-minute delay and on-field prayer sessions involving both teams, medical staff on hand carted the Cincinnati native off the field.

In the 80-yard ride to the ambulance, Love’s body lay motionless. A collective sigh of relief followed by applause came over both the Hoosier and Cardinal faithful witnessing the scene when the video scoreboard of Memorial Stadium showed Love, his neck restrained and body lying on a stretcher, was talking to medical staff.

After being loaded into an ambulance, he was taken to Bloomington Hospital and then on to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis for further evaluation and eventually surgery.

In a press release distributed mid-game, Ball State media relations contact Joe Hernandez said Love did not complain of neck pain, but was experiencing numbness and tingling in areas of his body.

“I couldn’t do nothing but pray for him,” junior linebacker Will Patterson said of his reaction following the traumatic play. “Our hearts and our prayers go out to Dante Love and his family and the entire Ball State football team.”

Love came into Saturday’s game ranking near the top of the nation in receiving yards per game.

-IDS reporter and columnist Dave Leno contributed to this report.