DaVon Hamilton Survives Abscess, Avoids Paralysis
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- DaVon Hamilton experienced excruciating back pain and leg numbness during a joint practice with the Detroit Lions on Aug. 17, 2023, requiring assistance to board the team bus.
- Baptist Medical Center ordered an MRI that revealed a spinal epidural abscess causing severe spinal cord compression.
- Baptist Medical Center performed emergency surgery that relieved the pressure and prevented potential paralysis.
- Kevin Kaplan, Jaguars team physician, presented Hamilton’s rare case at the 2025 NFL combine to highlight its medical significance.
- DaVon Hamilton returned to the field, finishing arguably his best season since being drafted in 2020, and now shares his experience to raise awareness of such health risks.
Why it matters: NFL players and teams gain a cautionary example of how swift diagnosis and surgery can avert career‑ending paralysis, prompting tighter medical protocols and reducing costly liability for franchises.
