|
Ball
State to Honor Dante Love at Saturday’s Game and Remainder of
Season
|
| MUNCIE,
Ind. -- The Ball State University athletics department has
put together a variety of ways to honor Dante Love (#86), who
suffered a cervical spine fracture and spinal cord injury at
last Saturday’s football game at Indiana. |
| “We
want to honor Dante Love for all the hard work he put into the
Ball State football program,” Ball State head coach Brady Hoke
says. “He remains an instrumental part of the team’s
growth, but more important, he is an outstanding person with a
great work ethic. We are going to do some things to honor
him at Saturday’s game, and some things will honor him as the
year continues. He is beginning the difficult process of
rehabilitation and it will be a long road for Dante. He is
a fighter, and we as a football program will do all we can to
help him in any way we can.” |
| Although
the majority of Love’s medical expenses are covered by Ball
State and the NCAA, the athletics department, with the help of
MutualBank, has set up the Dante Love Medical and Rehabilitation
Fund. The fund is for those wishing to provide financial
assistance to the Love family for expenses not covered by
insurance and to assist the Love family with additional costs
related to the injury, including items such as family travel,
accommodations and incidental needs. |
| Anyone
wishing to contribute may do it online through secured links at www.ballstatesports.com,
www.bankwithmutual.com
or at any
MutualBank location. All funds in this account will go
toward expenses incurred by the Love family, and any excess
proceeds will be donated to Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis
and spinal injury research. To assist with the fund, T.I.S.
Bookstore will be selling Dante Love t-shirts at Saturday’s
game with all proceeds going toward the Dante Love Medical and
Rehabilitation Fund. |
| “We
are extremely pleased Dante Love’s surgery went well and the
prognosis for him is good,” Ball State director of
intercollegiate athletics Tom Collins says. “He suffered
a very severe injury and we are thankful he is progressing
positively. Everyone involved with the game management at
Indiana, our own medical and athletic training staffs and all
the employees at the Bloomington and Methodist Hospitals were
outstanding. Ball State University thanks them for helping
Dante with his injury. We are setting up this fund to help
assist the family with any expenses which may not covered by
their insurance or Ball State University, and hopefully to
provide additional dollars for spinal injury research. It
is important for people to understand all efforts associated
with fund raising for Dante Love need to be approved in advance
by Ball State athletics to avoid any rules violations and
jeopardize the ability for the Love family to be assisted.“ |
| In
addition, the following will take place Saturday to honor Dante
Love: |
- Dante
Love stickers have been donated for the first 20,000 fans
attending Saturday’s game.
- Dante
Love signs will be placed inside Scheumann Stadium in honor
of the senior.
- The
football team has named Dante Love an honorary captain for
the 2008 season.
- One
player will be selected each game as a team captain in Dante
Love’s name.
- The
football team will honor Dante Love in a special way for the
remainder of the season, which will begin at Saturday’s
contest.
|
| “We
truly appreciate all the thoughts and prayers for Dante and his
family through this difficult time,” Collins says. “We
have received a tremendous amount of ideas on ways to support
Dante and his family, and as a university these are some of the
ways we think will be most beneficial to Dante and his family.
Again, we must stress any efforts associated with fund raising
for Dante Love must be approved in advance by Ball State
University and the athletics department.” |
