Wisconsin Badger O’Brien Schofield suffered the injury to his left knee during Senior Bowl practice in Mobile Alabama at the end of January. Projected to be a third or fourth round pick in April, Schofield’s agent admits that his stock may have fallen to a prospective free agent although the Green Bay Packers indicate that they haven’t given up on the DE just yet. The Packers, who lost leading pass rusher Aaron Kampman this week after he signed with the Jaguars, have kept in touch with the home state prospect since his recovery began. Winston Moss, the Linebacker Coach for the team sat down with him at the end of February.

“We had a real intense conversation,” Schofield said. “I like him. We have the same mentality. I think I could play for him. Getting a shot basically in my home state would be great.”

Corey Wootton, another Big Ten defensive end from Northwestern University, enters the draft after undergoing reconstructive surgery at the beginning of 2009. Wootton, who tore his ACL in the Alamo Bowl, was able to play the entire season with the Wildcats just eight months after his surgery. The 6′6″ DE, before sustaining the injury, was touted as a top 10 draft pick is now on track to go late in the first round at best and is ranked 6th of all the defensive ends entering the draft.

The anterior cruciate ligament, commonly referred to as the ACL, is one of four major knee ligaments and is critical to knee stability and prevents excessive movement of the knee joint. This fibrous tissue runs from the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone) below.

As the ability to step off, plant and change direction on one leg are key to playing most sports, the lack of stability in the knee after a tear means the athlete will feel like his leg is “giving out” on him when executing these moves.

Reconstruction commonly entails taking a graft from a tendon, such as the hamstring at the back of the thigh, which is then used to repair the ACL as the ligament itself cannot be sewn back together.

Rehabilitation of a reconstructed ACL is usually a lengthy process, but with the technology available to college and pro athletes many of them can come back to their sports faster than the average individual.
For these injured defensive ends, especially Schofield who has only a month of rehab under his belt, the draft it not a lost cause. In the 2009 NFL draft the Philadelphia Eagles picked up Florida tight end Cornelius Ingram even though he missed the 2008 season with an ACL tear. His reconstruction by renowned surgeon Dr James Andrews and subsequent rehabilitation at the Andrews Institute was aided by the use of an underwater treadmill and therapy pool at the facility. After the Eagles signed Ingram he continued his rehabilitation at their NovaCare training complex in a similar therapy pool.

The advanced training facilities offered by professional sports teams, such as the Eagles, means they can take a gamble on an injured athlete and their rehabilitation prospects when considering who will be the best fit for the team.

• NFL Jerseys. It doesn’t get any more classic than this. When your team is on the field wearing jerseys, it feels great to cheer them on from the stands (or from your couch) in a jersey bearing not only the team colors, but the number and name of your favorite team.
• NFL T-shirts and Sweatshirts. This is the second most common type of NFL sports apparel. Who doesn’t love a good team t-shirt or sweatshirt? They’re great casual wear that can be worn around the house or around town, or out to dinner (at a casual restaurant) with friends. Not to mention, they’re exceptionally comfortable, relatively affordable, and can be layered easily.
• NFL pajamas. This is more of a fun one, but still popular. NFL pajamas take comfort a step farther. And why not show your team spirit in the form of pajamas, even if it’s just around the house?
• NFL shorts. Here we get a little more practical. You don’t always have to be comfortable and cozy, sleeping or cheering on the team from the stands. There’s a whole other genre of NFL sports apparel that’s made to be work while playing sports. NFL shorts are one of the leading types of NFL wear in this category. Their athletic shorts are designed to be moved in, with comfortable quality material that wicks sweat and stays firmly on the waist without causing discomfort by digging against the skin.
• NFL wristbands / sweatbands. A small item of NFL sports apparel, yes, but a useful one. If you practice outdoors (or even indoors) in warm weather, you know how sweat can cause you to lose your grip on the ball. With an NFL wristband, you keep your hands dry, while showcasing a piece of NFL apparel that shows your loyalty to the game in its top form.

I can totally understand and relate with why larger women are upset at their limited choices. Especially when the stores that are designed for larger women do not even offer athletic clothing, such as Lane Bryant or Torrid. It’s as though they never even thought that larger women wouldn’t be interested in getting healthy. It’s more frustrating to be in between the womens and plus sized sizes. I am a size– but am able to wear womens size large and extra large tops but yet I can only fit in a handful of athletic tops in sporting goods stores like the Nike store and Sportsmart.

Just speaking about this makes me angry. It leaves larger women with no choice than to have to purchase large over sized t-shirts. Then is the next more frustrating thing for them; shopping for a sports bra. now if they don’t even make athletic wear available, do you honestly think plus sized women are going to find many options for plus sized sports bras to work out with? I didn’t think so. If anyone needs the support, it’s plus sized women too!

I have found that when I look good in my workout clothing then I feel good about actually working out at the gym. I suddenly don’t think people are just staring at the size of my belly. Proper fitting workout gear is an instant confidence booster. So if a larger woman wants to get serious about her efforts to get in shape, she is going to need some awesome spirit lifting workout gear and most importantly a good sports bra!

Ok so now that we have an understanding of why a plus sized bra is important for working out, just where can you buy them? I already made it pretty obvious that plus sized stores have a disappointing selection IF they even offer workout clothing. I have seen Target offers Champion sports bras up to size XXL but unfortunately you had better expect to double up your sports bras in order to get just half way decent support.

That was about 10 years ago before there were any online buying options. Lucky for plus sized women of today, they can buy plus sized bras online through companies such as Moving Comfort, Enell and Shock Absorber. Many of these brands are available on amazon and roadrunners ports.