Adam Taliaferro's Life After Football

Adam Taliaferro’s Life After Football

Neurology

15 Oct 2022 | 1 | by kjh

2561070login-checkAdam Taliaferro’s Life After Football

Many people remember Adam Taliaferro as a star football player at Penn State.  On September 23, 2000 Adam suffered a spinal cord injury during a game against Ohio State.  He couldn’t get up from the field and he was carried away on a stretcher.  Doctors didn’t believe he would be able to walk again.  After that, it was an uphill battle with a dim prognosis for recovery.

Adam had surgery at Ohio State Medical Center to fuse his C-5 vertebra.  It was successful and he was airlifted to Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA.  Still, it was projected that he would only have a 3% chance of walking again. Adam was eventually transferred to nearby Magee Rehabilitation Hospital.  There he underwent intensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation.

One of his most poignant moments was going to the rooftop of Magee Rehab Hospital and looking down at the street.  Adam said that a few guys were playing basketball and he cried.  It was the first time he came to the realization that he was disabled and his body didn’t work.  His football career was over so his main task was trying to recover and figure out what his life would be about moving forward.

It took a lot of hard work and laser determination but after eight months of rehab, Adam learned to walk again. Then he stunned everybody when he returned to Penn State less than a year after his injury. He led the Penn State Nittany Lions football team onto Beaver Stadium’s field for the first game of the 2001 season against the Miami Hurricanes in front of a record crowd of 109,313.

Once Adam accomplished his goal of walking onto the stadium, he decided to focus his attention on his future career.  He chose law school and worked vigorously at Rutgers University Law School to obtain his J.D.  Today he is the Director of Strategic Alliances at Bristol Myers Squibb. 

He has also been the New Jersey State Assemblyman – Third Legislative District.  Most importantly, however, he gives back to those who are going through similar challenges.

Adam works with Magee Rehabilitation Hospital at a nonprofit foundation to help newly injured patients and provide them with hope and assistance with their lives, both emotionally and financially. The foundation provides funding to individuals who have spinal cord or any other catastrophic injury.  Insurance doesn’t always cover the rehab process and many patients need extra funds. 

The main objective of the foundation is to provide resources and support to help patients get back to living their lives. The foundation helps patients financially and also emotionally. Adam’s biggest role is to be there to talk to the patients and their families, sharing his story and helping them come up with ways to get through this challenging time. 

For more information visit https://taliaferrofoundation.org

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Alesio
Alesio
1 year ago

I remember when he came out on the field after his injury

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