BearTerritory.net - No. 1 priority

November 10, 2009

Chris Nguon
BearTerritory.net Senior Writer

Cal head coach Jeff Tedford made it perfectly clear Tuesday afternoon how the football program has and will continue to deal with the status of star running back Jahvid Best.

"We're not going to rush him at all," Tedford said. "He won't be around until he really feels he's ready to come back to class and all that type of thing."

While these weekly press conferences are almost always reserved for the comings and goings on the field, most of Tuesday's presser continued to surround Best. Bottom line, Tedford reiterated, the number one priority is the health and well being of the junior athlete.

"He's still home recovering," Tedford said. "He says he's feeling a little better, so that's encouraging."

After being taken to Highland Hospital in East Oakland Saturday night following his scary fall in the contest against Oregon State, Best was released and taken to his Vallejo home by his family Sunday afternoon.

Best has remained at home and has kept in contact with coaches, teammates and friends mostly through text message.

"That's the best way to get him," Tedford said. "We've text back and forth."

When any player gets injured, the entire team feels the heat. However, when a player gets injured the way Best did during Saturday's game, it exhibits a completely different level of emotion and shock for any team.

It's one thing to lose a player to a knee injury for example, but it's a whole other issue to lose a friend and teammate to a serious deal as the one that was dealt to Best Saturday night.

"What happened to Jahvid is really unfortunate," said starting fullback Brian Holley, who was right behind Best as he leapt into the air. "I'm just glad he's okay."

What makes the situation even tougher for Best's teammates is the player and person he is on and off the field. Truly one of the more gracious and well-liked athletes on the team, the 5-foot-11, 205-pound one-time Heisman Trophy candidate has carried himself with class and respect since the day he arrived on campus as one of the better prep running backs Northern California has seen in some time.

"Even if it wasn't Jahvid and it was the smallest player on the team, when something like that happens it's a serious issue," said senior offensive tackle Mike Tepper, who like Holley was right behind Best's run. "From where I was standing, Jahvid's foot was above me and I was like 'Oh my God.'"

Add to the fact that Best was so well liked by his teammates and his injury has made it even tougher to deal with.

"He's not T.O. (Terrell Owens)," Tepper described. "Jahvid is one of those guys who has a special aura around him. He's a very humble, very quiet guy. When he walks into a room, everyone knows he's there."

Tedford was asked repeatedly on Tuesday about a timetable for Best and how his back-to-back concussions on consecutive weeks now will affect the rest of the season both personally for Best and for the team on the field.

"We haven't even discussed that and will not discuss it until much later on," Tedford said. "That's the furthest thing on our minds. The number one concern is his health and his well being."

"If he doesn't play again this year," Tedford added. "So be it."

Chris Nguon is the lead football writer for BearTerritory. He's well known for his recruiting and game coverage in the star-studded Oakland Athletic League, plus his numerous contributions with The Daily Californian, UC Berkeley's only independent, student-run newspaper. Nguon is also a correspondent with the Oakland Tribune, and will cover Cal football and men's and women's basketball in 2009.

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