Ravens notebook: Nakamura breaks ankle on opening kickoff
By Aaron Wilson, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, November 17, 2009
CLEVELAND -- Baltimore Ravens reserve safety and special-teams contributor Haruki Nakamura gruesomely broke his right ankle during the opening kickoff of Monday night's 16-0 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Because of the nature and timing of the injury, it's expected that Nakamura is out for the remainder of the season and will likely require surgery to repair the damage.
His leg crumpled awkwardly underneath the weight of Browns kick returner and wide receiver Joshua Cribbs, who was inadvertently blocked into Nakamura by tight end L.J. Smith.
Nakamura immediately grabbed his ankle and was clearly in agony while being carted off the field.
"It was pretty stunning,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “It didn’t look good and he was in pain out there. We were excited about the way we returned the kick, but that was a little bit of a shocker right there.”
Nakamura is a Cleveland native who was an all-state selection at St. Edward High School in Cleveland.
Nakamura had several family members attending the game as his guests, including his mother, Karen. She visited with him after he suffered the injury.
Nakamura was slated to return with the team. His leg is in a cast.
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