Not long ago, Arizona State running back Deantre Lewis was confident he would recover from a gun shot wound and return to action in 2011. Unfortunately, it turns out the Sun Devils will have to wait for next year to see Lewis on the field. Coach Dennis Erickson confirmed on Thursday that Lewis will red shirt his 2011 season.
"I don't care about winning game or losing games, I care about Deantre Lewis right now," Erickson said. "He's been through some things that none of us can imagine, not just physically but mentally. He's getting better all the time. Maybe he could come back at the end of the year but the biggest thing mentally and physically for him is to shoot for spring football."
It's fairly certain that Erickson didn't mean anything but using the word "shoot" when talking about Lewis who was hit by a stray bullet in the buttocks while visiting his family in Riverside, CA in February 2011.
In August, Lewis talked to the media and expressed confidence he would return this season.
"I feel good. I feel like 85, 90 percent. The 10 percent is my stamina right now," Lewis said, "That's the only thing I feel like I'm missing...I'll be back very soon."
Erickson said that Lewis physically isn't ready to play and that dealing with getting shot is something that few us can relate to. Deantre can now focus on preparing for the spring and taking care of his academics after missing classes due to this incident.
We wish Deantre all the best in his recovery.