Kye Allums was supposed to amaze us all this season, playing for George Washington University’s women’s team, and becoming the NCAA’s first trans man to play DI ball. But in between a controversy about Kye allegedly being told to stop discussing his trans status comes another setback: injuries that have kept him off the court.
“My big thing is my memory,” Allums told The Associated Press. “Like, when I start speaking, I’ll forget what I was talking about.” Allums suffered two concussions during games early in the season. The last one, he said, was his eighth concussion overall and happened when he ran into a screen that jerked his head to the side and caused his brain “to shake around a little bit. I’ve been talking to the doctors a lot,” Allums said. “And they say if this was football, I’d pretty much be done.”
[…] Allums said he will be on the basketball team again in the fall — his senior season — if his concussion symptoms have finally subsided and he is cleared to play. “I’m a fighter. I’m still trying to come back,” Allums said. “I really do want to come back and play.” And if he can’t? “I”ll just be trying to make some kind of difference in the world,” he said. “Try to get into grad school and look forward to my life.”
Here’s to a speedy recovery, Kye. And no matter what, trust that you’ve already changed people’s hearts and minds.
missanthrope
“Here’s to a speedy recovery, Kye. And no matter what, trust that you’ve already changed people’s hearts and minds.”
Agreed. I hope he gets better soon.
Jeffree
Kye is already “making a difference” whether he’s on the court or not. I hope he focuses on getting better.
The researçh on closed-head injuries (incl. among athletes) has shown that the long-term effects are more serious than used to be thought, so coaches & docs have become much more cautious about releasing players back into the game.
Best to Kye, his team, family & friends.