And so it begins – Nate Irving Injured in Car Accident

'09 Football78

Within hours of the Charlotte/News & Observer going to press with their selection that NC State would win the 2009 ACC Atlantic Division Football Championship, the Wolfpack’s all-conference junior linebacker Nate Irving was injured in a car accident.

Irving was injured on Saturday night and is currently in the Wake Med Trauma Center with non-life threatening injuries; he suffered a broken leg and a collapsed lung and is scheduled to undergo surgery on the leg on Sunday evening.

“Our thoughts and prayers are certainly with Nate and his family,” said head coach Tom O’Brien. “All of his teammates and coaches will be there to support him as he recovers and goes through the process of rehabilitation.”

Irving was an honorable mention All-ACC performer in 2008, despite missing almost a third of the season with injuries. He tied for third on the team with 84 stops.

This morning’s newspapers also selected Irving as one of the ‘3 defensive difference-makers to watch’.

Based on what we have heard, we think it would be impractical to presume that Nate will play football in the 2009 season. Be clear – we are NOT ‘REPORTING’ that Irving will miss the season. We are simply interjecting that, at this point, we would be surprised if Irving played this season.

If Nate were to miss the season then the Wolfpack’s young stable of talented, but inexperienced, linebackers would be asked to produce sooner than previously expected. Don’t forget names like Sterling Lucas, William Beasley, Dwayne Maddox and Terrell Manning. Does anyone out there have an update on John Ware?

Everyone at SFN is praying for what matters most for Nate and his family – his health and recovery.

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'09 Football

78 Responses to And so it begins – Nate Irving Injured in Car Accident

  1. highstick 06/29/2009 at 6:24 PM #

    Thanks again on the satellite stuff. Direct seems to be my best option, but I’m not going to rush into it cause I need high speed internet at home for business purposes and don’t want to mess that up with the local provider.

    OT again, but Mary Easley’s gonna fight her termination! Wow, we’ve got some great politicians in both Carolinas!!!

    Nate does not make this team and while I wish he was playing, we need to just see what happens. Funny how things like this make other people step up and I’m convinced TOB will help that situation along. Wish I had that type confidence on the basketball side.

  2. tvp1 06/29/2009 at 6:27 PM #

    The absolutely ridiculous thing about our injuries is that almost all of the players who have been hurt recently have been the VERY BEST players on the team.

    Take last year. Who got hurt? Best QB? check. Best RB? check (Baker and Brown were basically 1A and 1B). Best WR? check. Best TE? check. Best OL? Arguably, check with Williams missing time. Best DT? check. Best LB? check. Best S? check (both of them!)

    Really, the only standout players on our team who have avoided injury have been Willie Young and Dejuan Morgan.

    I’ve reset my median expectation to 7-5 (4-4). We’ll basically have to outscore people this year.

  3. Wufpacker 06/29/2009 at 6:29 PM #

    GAWolf:

    I understand the point you are trying to make about the inability to form intent while asleep, but I believe that would only apply to reckless, not careless. To me, careless, like negligience, implies the lack of responsible actions in a situation that calls for them, such as staying awake while operating a 2 ton vehicle at 70+ MPH.

    I think falling asleep while driving is the very definition of carelessness, and while he didn’t form the intent to commit a crime, he didn’t take responsible actions to prevent it either. All drivers know that being able to stay awake is pretty much vital to the safe operation of a motor vehicle.

  4. tvp1 06/29/2009 at 6:29 PM #

    Just throwing this out there for discussion – how do folks think this affects the LB rotation? I would not be surprised to see Lucas move over to Irving’s spot and start. He seems to have budding Irving-like instincts.

  5. tvp1 06/29/2009 at 7:15 PM #

    One final thought: I think the most irreplaceable player on the team is actually either Cash or Morgan, not Nate. At least behind Nate we have some guys who are talented and have seen minutes, plus stud recruit Manning. Behind Cash we have the JC transfer Mageo, converted DE Sweezy, and that’s about it. Behind Morgan we have…er…a former walk on WR and a bunch of true and RS freshmen.

  6. 61Packer 06/29/2009 at 8:41 PM #

    I won’t speculate on who the most unreplaceable player on our team is, but I can assure you that the most unreplaceable person associated with this football team will be there for all 13 games- Tom O’Brien.

    Count your blessings. I still say it’s going to be a GREAT year for Wolfpack football!

  7. SaccoV 06/29/2009 at 9:24 PM #

    I am glad to hear and read that Nate is apparently okay and will maybe a full recovery, even if he doesn’t play football this season. As for us fans, we should really start looking at this whole team differently. Yes, losing Irving is a big loss, but we will be able to better control the line of scrimmage offensively. We should be able to have a managing style of offense than can generate some points and keep our defense fresher on the sidelines. Our defense was still suspect despite Irving’s presence because of the defensive backfield (most of the preseason write-ups have attested to this). Our problem last year was that we were hurting from injuries and movement on both sides of the ball at key positions and on the depth chart. Even though BJD and others have mentioned that State’s two-deep is nothing like Oklahoma’s or Florida’s, there is not as wide a gap in talent between #1 and #2; I’m sure there will be exceptions as the year continues. But I think this is an opportunity to remain a lot more positive about State’s offense. No one is talking about the offense outside of Russell Wilson–which makes an excellent opportunity for Eugene and others (notably O-Line) to be forgotten amongst the hype. Keep talking about how our defense is less than perfect without Nate; you’re right. It is. But I’m very positive that our offense will do much greater things this year than last. Nate’s injury is by no means an end to any of my optimism for this upcoming season.

  8. Wulfpack 06/29/2009 at 9:28 PM #

    I guess I’m in the boat of, yes, this is a huge loss, however, it could have been so much worse for Nate and the Wolfpack. I am just glad he made it out ok and will hopefully have at least a chance to continue his football career at some point in time.

    The fact is we are in a better position to absorb this loss this year rather than last. Who knows what the season will hold, but I’m not about to go whining about. It sucks, obviously, but TOB is building an army here in Raleigh and we’ll be ok. This happens EVERYWHERE, so stop acting like it’s something that happens that only happens to us.

  9. mafpack 06/30/2009 at 7:51 AM #

    WufPacker:

    GAWolf’s diction suggests that he wasn’t simply speculating about the possible charges but was actually giving a legal opinion and thereby a legal definition, of careless and reckless driving. Everything about his comment screams lawyer to me… perhaps I’m wrong? 🙂

    And, let me just say this, I’m very thankful to those on this site who choose to remain thankful and positive, both for Nate’s safety and well being, and also for the prospect and outlook for our team next season.

    Thank God, Nate is o.k. Thank God we have TOB as a coach – if anyone can lead a team effectively through this storm, it’s Tom. We have faith in you both to get the job done. Go WolfPack!

  10. Sam92 06/30/2009 at 9:14 AM #

    yes, this is bad – but maybe it’s time for one of those redshirt freshmen to really turn it on; and maybe he’s not out for the whole season. sad news in any event

  11. packalum44 06/30/2009 at 9:42 AM #

    ^ GAWolf has shared legal insight before. 🙂

    From my muddied memory of criminal law, a criminal must have intent, or mens rea – latin for “guilty mind”. There are a few exceptions, such as recklessness and negligence.

    Recklessness is when you drive 55 mph down an icy road. Sure the speed limit is 55 mph but you KNOW this is dangerous behavior and will LIKELY result in a wreck but do it anyway.

    Negligence is when you drive too fast down a busy road surrounded by pedestrians. For whatever reason (driving home from a Pack b-ball game and cursing yourself for renewing your season tickets), you might not be aware this is dangerous but a REASONABLE person would.

    Based on what we know, Nate was certainly not reckless and its a huge stretch to say Nate was negligent and would be extremely hard to prove. He simply fell asleep at the wheel. It happens.

    Disclaimer: this is only theory…I don’t know the technical aspects of the law.

  12. GAWolf 06/30/2009 at 10:29 AM #

    Just trust me… I will be completely shocked if Nate is convicted or pleads guilty to C&R given these facts. If anything, he’s guilty of unsafe movement. That assumes there’s no other information out available in the accident reconstruction beyond the fact that he likely fell asleep at the wheel. (Speed, etc)

    I should add that this doesn’t mean someone won’t attempt to prosecute him for the same. I just seriously doubt a judge would convict of C&R or a lawyer would plead his client to it under those circumstances. There are two sections to the statute and one requires less proof than the other, but one requires willful action and the other requires driving (not falling asleep) that a person would reasonably believe could endanger others. The falling asleep was unintentional. Should he have been driving with little rest? Maybe not. But I dare say every person on this board hasn’t done that on many occasions.

    It’s just a sad situation for Nate. I truly hopes he gets better soon… for his sake… not ours.

  13. JasonP 06/30/2009 at 12:36 PM #

    Here’s hoping Nate gets better soon and makes a full recovery.

    Any disclosure of the actual bone that was fractured, or the severity of the injury? There’s a whole range of ‘broken legs’ one could get.

  14. MP 06/30/2009 at 12:55 PM #

    It is easy to misunderstand the intent of comments that are made in writing, so I may be misinterpreting and overstepping a bit… but to seriously be concerned about how this will affect NC State’s performance this year is (ahem) misguided.

    Let’s throw out an alternate headline: “NCSU Football Player Nate Irving Dies in Car Crash”.

    Would fans then say how “we are cursed”? Would fans then say “Oh well there goes our division title hopes”?

    “We” are damn lucky not to have read that alternate headline. What a blessing that Nate Irving is alive and has a life in front of him. I can only imagine how gratified his family must be to not have to deal with the grief of losing him.

  15. WolftownVA81 06/30/2009 at 1:07 PM #

    I wish Nate a speedy recovery. I’ve had this discussion with my son many times as he headed back to VA Tech late at night or too early in the AM after little sleep. Hopefully, he will take something away from this accident which could have been very tragic.

  16. Zen Wolf 06/30/2009 at 1:07 PM #

    I think that with Nate’s family life and good character most any judge would throw out any charges considering what he has gone through. I think the broken leg and the time away from the game that he loves is punishment enough. I would say that he learned his lesson. I would really be challenged to see why any judge would see the need to prosecute this. A good prosecutor would not even let it get that far.

    I am trying to manifest.

    Keep Smiling Nate.

    I still like the “Play Like Nate Would” PLNW bracelet idea.

  17. waxhaw 06/30/2009 at 2:15 PM #

    I had DirectTV and switched back to cable.

    I would put the pros/cons as follows:

    DIRECT TV PROS

    1) More HD Channels
    2) Better picture (although not all that noticeable to me)
    3) More packages
    4) New channels added quicker (see ESPNU, NFL Network, etc.)
    5) Cheaper for just tv

    CABLE PROS

    1) Doesn’t go out in thunderstorm
    2) Don’t have to fool around with cable on some tv’s/satellite on others (boxes controlling multiple TV’s etc.
    3) DVR
    4) Wife understands how to turn tv on and off without calling me
    5) Bundles better than Direct TV with DSL

    Bottom line, the technology and customer service advantages of Direct TV do not outweigh the simplicity of cable for me.

  18. BJD95 06/30/2009 at 2:29 PM #

    There are 2 key things to keep in mind here:

    1) Nobody’s saying that NI’s replacement won’t do a “solid” job. But it’s extremely unlikely that a reserve is going to be the kind of instant impact, game changing playmaker that Irving was. That’s what’s so hard to replace. Irving was one of the leading candidates for defensive POY.

    2) Perhaps the biggest impact is farther down the depth chart. Nate’s off-field injury doesn’t use up our karmic quota – we will still have LBs nicked up during game play. Now, you have third team guys getting playing time, and perhaps walk-ons (or frosh that should be redshirted) in the two-deep again. And almost nobody outside of the Oklahomas and Floridas of the world (certainly not NC State in TOB’s third season) has guys that deep on the chart who are really ready for game action.

  19. VaWolf82 06/30/2009 at 2:48 PM #

    And almost nobody outside of the Oklahomas and Floridas of the world (certainly not NC State in TOB’s third season) has guys that deep on the chart who are really ready for game action.

    Another possible outcome of limited depth is that those players that are game-ready spend more time on the field…which can come back to bite State in the 4th quarter.

    One thing that I don’t think that most State fans have a handle on is just how bad State’s defense was last year. I’ve already highlighted that fact in the conference overview and hope to get back to that point as soon as enough free time appears so that I can finish the NCSU review.

  20. highstick 06/30/2009 at 2:49 PM #

    Some of the accident “descriptions” sound like the crazy thing that happened to my daughter her freshman year at Winthrop. She was headed to Charlotte on I-77 when trash blew out of the back of some fellow’s pickup truck. This caused a chain reaction of people wrecking and she was the last car in the line…sounds like a NASCAR term, doesn’t it? Anyway, she had one opening between two cars that had already wrecked and she went for the opening. Her only alternative was two bridge abuttments and a head on collision. She clipped the back end of a car that was already totaled. Guess what, she got a ticket for failure to slow down to avoid the scene of an accident!

    I got the charges dropped through the Mecklenburg court system, but only after producing several written accounts from the other people involved and a nonsensical note from the insurance company. If the Mecklenburg police had taken time that night to get the facts then the ticket probably never would have been written. Might be the same case with Nate.

  21. bradleyb123 06/30/2009 at 3:00 PM #

    ^ “One thing that I don’t think that most State fans have a handle on is just how bad State’s defense was last year. I’ve already highlighted that fact in the conference overview and hope to get back to that point as soon as enough free time appears so that I can finish the NCSU review.”

    I tend to think that when the defense was HEALTHY, they were quite good, actually (same for the offense). The problem is they weren’t BOTH healthy at the same time until after mid-season. I think the defensive stats are skewed a bit, too. For example, our defense played WELL against SC in that first game. But the offense was nonexistent. So the defense wore down exponentially. By the end of the game, they were exhausted, and only then did SC’s offense do most of their damage. Statistically, it appears our defense was horrible, but there was good reason for that. Without an offense that can give the defense a chance to breathe, how good can the defense really be?

    We had a few weak spots in the defense, but overall, I thought they were good (when healthy). Some of our problem was a lack of depth, too. And with all the redshirts now available, we have more depth. I don’t think last year’s defense even compares with this year’s edition.

  22. Wufpacker 06/30/2009 at 4:38 PM #

    QUOTE
    ———————————–
    MP Says:
    June 30th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

    Let’s throw out an alternate headline: “NCSU Football Player Nate Irving Dies in Car Crash”.

    Would fans then say how “we are cursed”? Would fans then say “Oh well there goes our division title hopes”?

    ————————————

    As much as I hate to say it, I think the accurate answer to this would be a big fat “YES”.

    There most definitely would be a small group that would genuinely feel the “woe is me” side of the issue, and even a few that would be vocal about it. Certainly the folks that have compassion in their hearts (hopefully a majority?) would be feeling empathy for Nate’s family and would have their priorities in correct perspective.

    Even some of THEM (the compassionate folks, that is) would publicly spout off about “The Curse”, however. That has become almost as much an accepted part of some fans’ sense of self (or tradition, or psyche, or whatever) as the desire to tailgate, sing the fight song, or any other accepted fan activity.

    And you will never convince them that it does not exist.

  23. bradleyb123 06/30/2009 at 5:10 PM #

    Our “curse” is our administration.

  24. Wufpacker 06/30/2009 at 7:21 PM #

    ^ Here, here!! Couldn’t agree more!

  25. VaWolf82 06/30/2009 at 8:50 PM #

    I think the defensive stats are skewed a bit, too.

    What is really skewed is the tendency for some State fans to disregard or forget any data that they do not like. I was hoping that this trend would disappear after Herb left…..silly me.

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