NLL Insider

John Grant Jr. will miss the 2009 NLL season

Bumps, bruises and even broken bones and torn ligaments come and go, but the injury threatening the career of the lacrosse world’s brightest star came out of nowhere, sneaking up on John Grant Jr. and knocking him out of the 2009 NLL season.

This was no run-of-the-mill situation — it nearly cost him his life.

“I didn’t realize it at the time,” Grant says. “I was on three different antibiotics, but nothing worked.

“I almost lost more than lacrosse. The doctors said I was awfully close.”

That’s a sobering thought, especially for a pro athlete whose livelihood depends on a strong, healthy body. Junior, who first burst into the spotlight as the NCAA’s leading scorer at Delaware in 1999, has long led a blessed lacrosse life, bringing skill and flash to the game in the NLL, Major Series Lacrosse, Western Lacrosse Association, MLL and World Championships. He’s won titles and MVP honors at every level.

That all came to a grinding halt this past August.

An infection started in his elbow and spread through his body. He played through the pain in his back and legs but finally, on the day he was to lead the Peterborough (Ont.) Lakers into Game 7 of the MSL playoffs, the pain was too much. He went to a Peterborough emergency room and underwent emergency surgery that afternoon.

“The infection went right to the knee and destroyed the ACL,” Grant says, referring the cadaver ACL he had implanted in 2004. Four surgeries later, he’s still a long way from playing lacrosse. He has a peripheral inserted central catheter (also known as a PICC line) allowing him to receive antibiotics still fighting the infection. He has no ACL, so running or even extended walking is out of the question. Doctors will put in another ACL once the infection clears, in addition to surgery to correct a bent right pinkie finger.

On the bright side, he’s been cleared to pedal on a stationary bike, though it’s a painful ordeal.

“I’d like the rehab to be quicker, but I have to be slow and steady,” he says. “I’ve been watching a lot of TV. I have a blowup mattress set up in the living room so I can see the big-screen TV and don’t have to watch the smaller TV in the bedroom.”

There’s been a tremendous outpouring of support, and not just from fans in Rochester or Peterborough; fans from rival teams around the country have sent get-well vibes.

But the Rochester Knighthawks are the ones facing the most immediate question: “what’s next?”

“First thing, we can’t replace John Grant,” says new Knighthawks GM Regy Thorpe, a longtime teammate of Grant’s. “We feel guys like Shawn Williams and Scott and Shawn Evans will step right in. Aaron Wilson and Ken Millin will help a lot, too. This situation will allow some of our other talented guys to get more touches and they can do it. They’re proven goal-scorers.”

Rochester Democrat & Chronicle columnist Bob Matthews has written more than once that Grant is the best athlete in the prime of his sport to ever wear a Rochester uniform — lofty praise in a city that boasts proud and successful traditions in hockey, baseball, soccer and basketball.

So what does Grant’s injury mean to the Rochester community?

“Fans are still in the mode where it doesn’t all seem real,” says Thorpe. “And it won’t seem real until that first game and he’s not on the floor. Everyone’s excited, though, about the direction of our new ownership, and if John can help behind the scenes, it’ll make an easier transition for the new guys on the team.”

The reality of losing 30-35 lbs has been the most immediate change for Grant; it’s the first time he’s weighed less than 200 since 1993, but he says he’s been wanting to play at a lighter weight anyway to take pressure off his knees.

Then there’s his new role as a Knighthawks assistant coach.

“I’ll be working with the offense,” he says. “I’ve played for 30 years and I have some things to offer. It’ll be miserable not playing, but I can gain experience coaching, which is something I want to do when I’m not playing anymore. For now, I’ll try to be as much a part of this team as possible. Just because I’m not playing doesn’t mean I won’t be around.”

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