U.S. national team striker Charlie Davies gave his first interview since the deadly car accident he was involved in six weeks ago and revealed that while he is still coping with the psychological impact of the accident, he expects to make a full recovery.
In an interview with ESPN's Jeremy Schaap released on Sunday, Davies stated that his doctors believe he will make a complete recovery and he believes he will be back in time for the 2010 World Cup next June.
"They think I'm going to make a full recovery and the doctors said they'll be looking forward to seeing the World Cup this summer," said Davies, who re-iterated the point when asked if he could be back in time for the World Cup. "By the World Cup."
As for the emotional toll the accident, Davies admitted that he's still coming to grips with the incident, which left another passenger dead.
"That's hard to say," Davies said when asked about what it was like to survive a deadly car crash. "I know I've become a lot more emotional since the accident.
"it's definitely one of those things that really shakes you up and has me thinking at night a lot. My mind will be racing," Davies told ESPN. "It's one of those things that I think eventually I'll get over, but it's definitely a difficult time and it's a time that's made me grow as a person."
Davies is in Delaware undergoing rehabilitation of the numerous injuries he suffered in the accident. He is expected to return to France to complete his rehab at the end of December, with a report by France Football quoting FC Sochaux president Alexandre Lacombe as suggesting that Davies could begin jogging as early as February.
What do you think of this news? Happy to see Davies make his first appearance since the accident? Starting to believe that Davies will be in uniform for the United States come June?
Share your thoughts below.
Even if Davies can only be a 2nd half sub during the World Cup … that would be great!
back by the world cup?? THAT would be a miracle. Not holding my breath.
Do you know if there is any way to see the whole interview?
God bless you CD9!
Wow, I didn’t even recognize him at first, but I’m so thrilled to hear he’s making progress. Seeing the picture and reading the interview brought back a lot of feelings from the accident. As supporters, it’s amazing how much of a connection we feel with our guys and how much their successes and misfortunes affect us. I was crushed by the Enke incident, as well, and still remember being gutted years and years ago when Marco Foe died. At any rate, I’m so happy to hear Charlie is on the mend. Hopefully, we’ll see him back soon doing what he loves.
Maybe … not 100% sure, but if it’s for legitimate medical purposes, it should be ok. Lance Armstrong took some steroids and EPO to counteract some side effects of chemo during his fight with cancer (according to wikipedia) and he was able to still race after he recovered.
If he’s actually jogging in February that would be a simply astounding recovery. Obviously it would be a few more months before he’s fully match-fit, but still. Even if he can only be a bench forward in South Africa it would be an amazing fast recovery that absolutely none of us thought was even a possibility.
Jogging as early as February! That is really good news. I’m glad FC Sochaux is behind him. Unlike some other clubs. AC Milan.
is this an otl or e60 piece? i cant imagine its just 1.5 mins
Davies was an outstanding high school wrestler, so he’s gotta be tough as nails. I think it’s great that he’s working towards such a speedy recovery. I just hope he doesn’t jeopardize the rest of his career in an effort to make it to SA.
That said, I sure would love to see him make it.
If it’s Schaap – wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a longer form version that will air on OTL or something.
We’re still waiting on the investigation results? How is it that the drivers name was never released? Wasn’t their a supposed 3rd person in the car?
I saw the interview…and was kind of annoyed at how short ESPN made it. It’s great they gave CD9 (and U.S. soccer in general) the time on SportsCenter, on a NFL highlights packed Sunday no less, but it couldn’t have been more than a 1.5 minute spot.
Had this been any NBA, NFL, or MLB player, we’d have seen the entirety of the interview. Great for him though to push for 2010. Maybe the doctors say no but he knows his limits. It may not end up working out, but it will hopefully give him something to strive for and stay positive in his outlook. Even if he doesn’t end up being able to play, hopefully his recovery will stay on this upward trajectory.
…and Gooch as well.
Wow… great way to get my day started… I would check soccernet.com for the interview or simply youtube… someone is bound to have recorded it.
The emotional toll is first and foremost. The body cannot live without the mind. That said, he will be waking up from his accident one day at a time. That’s how it was for me.
I love Charlie’s determination. Get well and I hope to see you in South Africa next summer!
Happy to hear he’s doing better and I hope he continues to.
I hope he’s receiving psychological assistance in addition to the physical rehab.
amen
No.
Great to hear from him. I’m sure the WC is a great motivator for him, but it seems unlikely. But who knows? And Charlie, as for “getting over the accident”, you won’t. You never really do. It changes you but you find a new outlook that helps you function.
I’m really happy for him, I hope he doesn’t rush himself too much, he has alot to recover from, not only physically but psychologically. Either way, it’s good news.
Davies full-time job is recovery. That and being so young will allow him a shot at South Africa, but will be minor miracle to see him on the pitch this Summer.
I wish him all the best!
No, you can’t use steroids or HGH for rehabbing. You can use EPO for cancer patients, as that was what it was designed for, to raise the red blood cell count of patients who undergo chemo, which lowers your red blood cell count. Some people suspect Lance Armstrong used EPO as a cancer patient who underwent chemo, but even if he did, there’d be no residual benefit years later.
What an asinine comment to make. Why does Davies have to say anything about her in public? He’s probably dealing with it in private, he has no obligation to grandstand in front of a camera about a dead friend.
Man that doesn’t even look like him. Scary.
I hope the best for a full recovery, coming off an ACL injury 4 months ago, the stuff wears on you, physio gets hard, and any rehabilitation is full of frustration.
Wishing the best, I hope our number 9 comes back stronger than ever.
What if he can’t comment? Last I heard it was still an ongoing investigation. Perhaps he’s been advised not to comment. Perhaps part of the deal of the interview was to not touch that part of the issue, or as MVK said, maybe he did – in the FULL interview. We can never tell, but I find your definitive attitide and baseless statements quite reckless as I am willing to go out on a limb here and say you don’t know either.
You cant comment like that enless you have heard the fully un-edited interview (i highly doubt), I am willing to bet its a bit more than the 4 quoted sentences…
Amen, and well said.
Great way to get to work. Good news! Don’t think returning him for 2010 is in his best interest as he’ll be asking for further injury if he rushes himself that fast. He’s young enough, his body will heal and there’s always next time. Get healthy Davies, we need your pace and goals!!!!
I can’t find the interview on ESPN’s web site. Anyone got a link?
heck if he just starts jogging in Feb. would be really suprised to see him with the nats come the end of May (which is when they would leave for South Africa). He might be there but, I don’t know how much he’ll play.
Good to hear he is doing well on his rehabilitation.
Seems to me Charlie’s own prognosis is by the World Cup, the quote attributed to the doctor doesn’t offer a timeline. In any event, great news of a full recovery. His health first & foremost. To think he can return in time is a very courageous & admirable goal to set for himself, to keep his mind positive in the aftermath of this tragedy. All the more reason to cheer & believe in this young man.
It’s all about me! The dead one is gone. But back to me . . .
Jesus, maybe a few words on her behalf?
So the interview aired yesterday? Is there a link to see it? When was it aired?
in Wilmington with Jim Hashimoto
I’m happy to hear he’s recovering and that his doctors are giving such a positive outlook. Most important is that he gets well, if he can make the WC 2010 squad and contribute all the better. However, lets get him well (physically & Mentally) before we even think of putting him on the squad.
YAY! This makes me so happy. I was stuck in the traffic from this accident and at the time I was super pissed off. But when I heard it was Charlie, I felt so bad. I’d be interested to see this interview in full. I’ll have to look for it on youtube. I’m just glad he’s up to giving interviews and I certainly hope he’s able to be included in the WC squad!
Glad to hear it. Keep the news coming. Would love to hear anything. Even details on what his rehab is and progress he’s making doing it.
Good luck
Where can we see this entire interview Ives?
Can an athlete use steroids/HGH to rehab back like an injury that Davies had and not be punished?
Ives do you have a link for the video, or at least another time slot it will be run on ESPN? I can’t find it on ESPN.com.
Yet more good news on Davies. More important than him making it back on the pitch is how mentally fit and stable he is. On par with the comment on Enke above, it’s very important that his emotional status is updated constantly. He is such a young kid and has a very long life to live after his playing career.
great way to start my morning. We are with you Davies!
What do I think of this news? I’m glad he can give an interview. The rest is just icing. Get well soon, CD.
He’s young so he’ll be back
Even minor car accidents exert an enormous amount of stress on the body. He’s been through a heck of an ordeal, and the prognosis is pretty astounding. It would truly be one of the greatest stories of WC 2010 if he were able to make it back to the team.
It’s relieving to hear doctors themselves saying he’ll be fit in time for the World Cup, but how will his play be affected? Are we looking at another Ben Olsen? Or will he just slowly by slowly needed to be worked back into the system?
Anybody know where in Delaware he’s rehabbing?
In the wake of the Enke tragedy, I’m relieved to see an emphasis on (and the inevitability of) the psychological toll this accident would take on anyone.
We’re thinking of you, Charlie!
And thanks for getting this up Ives.
Keep that nose to the grindstone Charlie, can’t wait to see you back on your feet and playing again.