North Carolina State University
Wolfpack's Irving out for the season, O'Brien says
Aug 14, 2009
Raleigh, N.C. — N.C. State linebacker Nate Irving is out for the season, Wolfpack coach Tom O'Brien said Thursday.
“He was our No. 1-rated defensive player,” O’Brien said. “When you lose your best player, it always makes an impact on the defense and makes an impact on the football team.”
Irving suffered multiple injuries in a June car accident when returning to Raleigh from his home in Wallace. O'Brien said a doctor evaluated Irving's leg Thursday.
“[The doctor] told him it's best if he sat out this year,” O’Brien said. “He still has appointments. Certainly, we're going to plan to play without him.”
O'Brien said Irving, given how mangled the car was, was lucky to be alive. He suffered a broken leg and a collapsed lung in the wreck.
Irving was traveling on I-40 West when he dozed off and ran off the road around 4:30 a.m., said Capt. Everett Clendenin, a spokesman for the state Highway Patrol. Irving tried to regain control but the vehicle ran off the road and struck two trees.
"I remember leaving home, and I woke up in the hospital,” Irving said. "To be here today as I am now, I'm pretty blessed. And to be able to have another chance to play football later on down the road is another blessing, so I don't have any complaints."
Irving has one year of eligibility remaining after this season.
“Who knows? If we get ourselves to a January bowl, maybe six months – I think that's what they're saying – he might be there if he can play,” O’Brien said. “We're not going to put him in there just to say we played Nate Irving this year. He's got to be a functional member of the football team.”
State is scheduled to play Dwayne Maddox, a sophomore, at linebacker to replace Irving. Maddox moved into the starting lineup last season when Irving was injured in the East Carolina game, but the Wolfpack wasn't close to being the same team with Irving out.
“The positive side was [Irving’s wreck] happened before we started camp, so it gave us an opportunity to rectify that situation as best we can,” O’Brien said.
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Most Recent Comments
RE: Wolfpack's Irving out for the season, O'Brien says
Man, I hate that for Irving! That guy is a beast!! Hopefully he will recover fully and it won't affect his future in football.
And for the idiots State fans on here talking trash about arrests and thugs.... are you kidding?? State has never had a player arrested, huh?? ROFLMAO!!!
- Posted by joeltarheel66
Just not like the thug list at Carolina.
I can't post the link because it contains the word "unc" immediately followed by "rapsheet", and that combination happens to form a word that WRAL does not allow ("c" + "rap").
Here's the url. I added an extra space between "unc" and "rapsheet". Delete that space from the url and it will work.
http://carolinasucks.com/images/unc rapsheet.htm
I'm sure a similar list for State, encompassing 25 years or so, would be just as long, or longer.
I doubt it. You don't hear about State players doing stuff like this very often. It seems pretty common for Carolina players. And no, I'm not joking.
You really are kidding - if not with me, then yourself. If you don't hear it, it's because you don't want to. And when you do, it's almost always something more serious than the marijuana, under-age drinking, or some other victimless crime charges you most frequently hear about with Carolina players.
RE: Wolfpack's Irving out for the season, O'Brien says
Yes, I have, and I hate every one of them. But, it's ridiculous to equate possession of marijuana, or a fight between teammates, to beating up a guy for talking to your girl. One of them apparently involves a player slapping his girlfriend. It hasn't been resolved, so we don't know the story, but if it's true, I don't care what they do to him. I'm all for giving second chances, but if you do, don't try to take the high road and call another school Thug U. At least most cases in Chapel Hill involve marijuana, under-age drinking, or some other victimless crime. They hardly equate to those in Raleigh that involve felony assault, weapons charges, or what I'm sure is the personal favorite of most over there - crimes against nature. Those who live in glass houses....
- Posted by uncfan1
It is so much more than that. The guy he beat up is somehow related to the guy that shot his mom (it might be the shooter's son? I can't remember now...) I read about this back when I first found out we might be recruiting him. It's not just a case of a dude beating up another dude for talking to his woman.
I don't know, but I think that's a connection that exists only in your own mind. I certainly have seen nothing that suggests it.
Like I said, I read it a couple of months ago. Even if the kid he punched had nothing to do with anything, his mind had to have been in a bad state after learning his mom had died of a blunt force blow to the head, had her trailer set on fire, and his little brother pulled from the blaze, lucky to be alive.
If he punched someone after all that, I can find it in my heart to forgive him if he's grown from it now.
TOB did his due diligence with this kid. He interviewed several people, including his ex-coaches at Georgia. The kid was re-admitted, and could be back at Georgia right now if he wanted. He chose to start over fresh, with the Wolfpack.
If he goes on to do great things, play in the NFL, etc., I could see this being one of those heartwarming comeback stories that you see on ESPN sometimes.
Punching is one thing. Striking him repeately after clocking him is another. He had to be pulled off the much smaller (and unconscious) student, but not before causing a concussion and blowout fracture to the eye. Yes, he suffered tremendous tragedy, but that's no excuse for the damage he inflicted on a person who had nothing to do with it.
That being said, I hope he has grown and learned a valuable lesson. I wish him well. Just don't be surprised if you hear of a similar incident some time in the near future.
RE: Wolfpack's Irving out for the season, O'Brien says
Man, I hate that for Irving! That guy is a beast!! Hopefully he will recover fully and it won't affect his future in football.
And for the idiots State fans on here talking trash about arrests and thugs.... are you kidding?? State has never had a player arrested, huh?? ROFLMAO!!!
- Posted by joeltarheel66
Just not like the thug list at Carolina.
I can't post the link because it contains the word "unc" immediately followed by "rapsheet", and that combination happens to form a word that WRAL does not allow ("c" + "rap").
Here's the url. I added an extra space between "unc" and "rapsheet". Delete that space from the url and it will work.
http://carolinasucks.com/images/unc rapsheet.htm
I'm sure a similar list for State, encompassing 25 years or so, would be just as long, or longer.
I doubt it. You don't hear about State players doing stuff like this very often. It seems pretty common for Carolina players. And no, I'm not joking.
RE: Wolfpack's Irving out for the season, O'Brien says
uncfan1, have you seen the latest arrests of UNC football players?????? I see Davis is bring the Miami thug types to Chapel Hill.
- Posted by Deacons
Yes, I have, and I hate every one of them. But, it's ridiculous to equate possession of marijuana, or a fight between teammates, to beating up a guy for talking to your girl. One of them apparently involves a player slapping his girlfriend. It hasn't been resolved, so we don't know the story, but if it's true, I don't care what they do to him. I'm all for giving second chances, but if you do, don't try to take the high road and call another school Thug U. At least most cases in Chapel Hill involve marijuana, under-age drinking, or some other victimless crime. They hardly equate to those in Raleigh that involve felony assault, weapons charges, or what I'm sure is the personal favorite of most over there - crimes against nature. Those who live in glass houses....
It is so much more than that. The guy he beat up is somehow related to the guy that shot his mom (it might be the shooter's son? I can't remember now...) I read about this back when I first found out we might be recruiting him. It's not just a case of a dude beating up another dude for talking to his woman.
I don't know, but I think that's a connection that exists only in your own mind. I certainly have seen nothing that suggests it.
Like I said, I read it a couple of months ago. Even if the kid he punched had nothing to do with anything, his mind had to have been in a bad state after learning his mom had died of a blunt force blow to the head, had her trailer set on fire, and his little brother pulled from the blaze, lucky to be alive.
If he punched someone after all that, I can find it in my heart to forgive him if he's grown from it now.
TOB did his due diligence with this kid. He interviewed several people, including his ex-coaches at Georgia. The kid was re-admitted, and could be back at Georgia right now if he wanted. He chose to start over fresh, with the Wolfpack.
If he goes on to do great things, play in the NFL, etc., I could see this being one of those heartwarming comeback stories that you see on ESPN sometimes.
RE: Wolfpack's Irving out for the season, O'Brien says
Man, I hate that for Irving! That guy is a beast!! Hopefully he will recover fully and it won't affect his future in football.
And for the idiots State fans on here talking trash about arrests and thugs.... are you kidding?? State has never had a player arrested, huh?? ROFLMAO!!!
- Posted by joeltarheel66
Just not like the thug list at Carolina.
I can't post the link because it contains the word "unc" immediately followed by "rapsheet", and that combination happens to form a word that WRAL does not allow ("c" + "rap").
Here's the url. I added an extra space between "unc" and "rapsheet". Delete that space from the url and it will work.
http://carolinasucks.com/images/unc rapsheet.htm
I'm sure a similar list for State, encompassing 25 years or so, would be just as long, or longer.
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