Christian Ponder Had Post-Season Medical Scare; Certified Athletic Trainer Eric Sugarman ™ Saved The Day

First off, what does Eric Sugarman get paid? Because it's not enough. Furthermore, has a team trainer ever been team MVP? Because it might be time.

During OTAs today, while lifting weights, Minnesota Vikings starting quarterback Christian Ponder took a break to chat with reporters, and relayed a brief medical scare he had post-season. In case you were under a rock during the playoffs... which, as a Vikings fan, was not a bad place to be... Ponder had injured his triceps after a hit during the regular season finale against Green Bay, and was forced to sit out the playoff game.

I don't recall what happened after that. Seriously, I drank those memory cells away.

Anyways, as Ponder related, sometime after the injury had gone away it suddenly came back one day with a vengeance. He described his arm swelling and becoming rock-hard, and, scared it was a clot, he rushed to the ER. There the doctor, fearing compartmental syndrome, wished to rush him to surgery.

And then... enter the Sugarman.

Luckily (and not surprisingly) Ponder had contacted the medicine man quickly when he noticed the issue. Sugarman called the ER just in time to prevent needless surgery, insisting first on an MRI- which revealed that there really wasn't any dire issue (and certainly no need for surgery on our QB's throwing arm), and that rest and ice would make the problem go back away. Which it did, and has stayed that way.

Who knows what caused the issue to flair back up but it sounds like it's gone for good. Anyone who's ever suffered a serious sports injury knows they can do funny things like that sometimes, so there's no cause for alarm here. However, surgery on Ponder's throwing arm would have been a serious concern, but thankfully Sugarman saved the day.

Again.