Former Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Joe Craig Jr. is facing quite the road to recovery after being involved in a car crash last month in Memphis, Tenn.
“One of the worst situations I’ve ever had to go through in my entire life,” said Craig.
On Aug. 22, Craig was out visiting friends in Memphis, where he now lives. He was on his way home when the crash happened.
“I was at the last light before I get to my house and I was going through the light and someone came from my left side and hit me, almost right between my engine and my driver’s side door,” Craig explained. “It spun me around a few times until I hit a metal pole and it stopped me there.”
The 28-year-old was rushed to hospital, where he says doctors told him he was paralyzed.
“I broke my sternum. I almost severed my spine. I broke my neck in the front and the back, and I broke my left arm,” Craig said. “I also had a little puncture in my heart that they had to check out.
“The toughest situation was waking up and having the doctors tell me, in front of my dad and my cousin, that I was paralyzed and I wasn’t going to walk again.”
But as Craig started to get more feeling back in his body and as he started passing more of the tests they were putting him through in the hospital, the prognosis changed. From there, he was determined to walk again.
“Throughout my life, I’ve been through certain situations where it’s built me tough,” he said. “It built me to be able to know and have confidence in myself that anything I put my mind to, I’m going to get done.”
After attending the University of Memphis, Craig had a stint with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. He was a free agent when he found his way to the CFL midway through the 2016 season when the Saskatchewan Roughriders were in need of a kick returner.
Craig played the final seven games of the season for the green and white, highlighted by a 71-yard punt return touchdown on Oct. 15 against the Toronto Argonauts, which would prove to be Craig’s CFL career highlight.
He was released by the Roughriders following 2017 training camp, during which time then-head coach Chris Jones converted Craig from receiver to defensive back. He hasn’t suited up for another team since.
“After I got released, I never went to a tryout, I never contacted another team, I fired my agent and I just became happy with life,” he said.
However, a number of events this summer challenged Craig’s positivity. In July, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was subsequently fired from his job at a pharmaceutical company.
He’s now fully recovered from the coronavirus, but is left with thousands of dollars in medical bills, totaling more than $85,000 USD.
And with two more surgeries from the car crash planned next week, that total will go up. Craig has raised more than $21,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to help offset the cost and has now started another crowdfunding page as he gets ready for the next bill.
“I never asked for a handout but I had to put my pride to the side and ask for some assistance,” he said.
And while he has had tough days, Craig has tried to remain optimistic. He’s able to take care of himself. His stability while walking is improving. And he’s working on getting stronger.
However, the road ahead is long.
“Physically, I’m very weak. I lost 30 pounds in the hospital,” he said. “The biggest hurdle for me right now is gaining my strength back. I know the surgeries that I’m going to have to get next week is going to push me back even further, but as long as it’s helping me get better, I’m all for it.”
And that positive outlook will no doubt help Craig in the road to recovery.
“I don’t try to think of it as too negative,” he said. “I’m happy because not only did I make it out of the wreck alive, but I beat what the doctors told me.”
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