A great Volunteer!

As some of you might have heard, both Justin Harrell and Inky Johnson were injured last Saturday night in the Air Force game. Inky's injury is very serious as he had surgery on Saturday night to help repair some blood vessels that had been damaged in the injury. He still has to have more surgery to repair nerve damage. Justin Harrell ruptured his bicep tendon and was declared out for the season. Well yesterday the team received some very uplifting news from these two Volunteers. First, Inky Johnson was released from the hospital yesterday and made an appearance at practice. The team made a huge uproar when they saw him appear from the football complex and it really uplifted the team. Second, about 45 minutes into practice, Justin Harrell made an appearance in full gear for practice. Apparently, Harrell's injury can't be damaged any furthur and thus he asked the coaches if he could play one last game. Harrell has to go ahead and have surgery because if he were to wait, then the muscle could atrophy and would not be repairable. So, as a senior, Justin Harrell will be making his last appearance in a UT uniform on Saturday night as he is expected to play. Harrell will be wearing a brace on his arm to help keep the arm stabilized, but he should be able to fully play. How much he plays is unknown at this point, but he will play. Another fitting tribute, is that Saturday night will be the last night that #92 will be worn at UT. Justin Harrell currently wears #92 and as many may know, that number was retired last year in honor of Reggie White. Harrell was allowed to continue wearing the number until he graduated, thus Saturday night will be the final appearance for the number. What a way for the number to be retired. I know that if Reggie were here today, he would be very proud of the way that Justin is representing that jersey. So be sure to give Justin and Inky a huge Tennessee welcome on Saturday night. I'm sure it will be a very emotional time.