Lineman Remains Paralyzed : Pro football: Lions’ Utley, injured against Rams, is in stable condition after 2 1/2 hours of surgery for neck injury.

Offensive lineman Mike Utley of the Detroit Lions remained paralyzed in stable condition Monday after 2 1/2 hours of surgery for a neck injury sustained on the first play of the fourth quarter in Sunday’s game against the Rams.

The 6-foot-6, 290-pound guard, a third-year pro from Washington State, fractured his sixth cervical vertebrae and suffered an “extensive soft tissue injury” in the Lions’ 21-10 victory.

Doctors said Monday they wouldn’t know whether the paralysis was permanent for at least 48 hours, although they said Utley has had some movement but is “quite weak.”

The surgery was to decompress some tissue and fragments that were pressing against the spinal cord, said Lion team doctor David Collon.

Dr. Phillip Mayer, head of spinal injuries in Henry Ford Hospital’s orthopedic department, said after physicians struggled to take X-rays of the enormous athlete, the operation went smoothly with no complications.

“It was a very severe injury to his spinal cord,” Mayer said at a news conference. When asked whether Utley’s professional football career was over, Mayer said: “In all probability, yes.”

The injury occurred when Utley was pass-blocking David Rocker of the Rams on Erik Kramer’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Robert Clark. Rocker jumped into the air in an attempt to deflect the pass and came down on Utley.

Utley subsequently lost his balance and fell forward. He extended his arms out to break the fall, but instead landed on the top of his head, snapping it back on contact.

Ram Coach John Robinson, after reviewing game films, said: “He fell forward and hit the side of his head on the Astroturf. That was what did it. That’s our impression.”

Lion Coach Wayne Fontes said: “It was an accident. It wasn’t an illegal play or an illegal block. It was just one of those freak things that happen on the football field. But you still hate to accept something like this happening.”

The team of surgeons, led by Mayer, removed fragments of a ruptured cervical vertebra from Utley’s spinal cord and repaired the spinal column by fusing bone from Utley’s pelvis.

After surgery was finished around 2 p.m., Mayer said Utley reported some sensation in his right leg. But no feeling was found during a later examination, he said.

Utley also sustained a fracture in the back of his neck, but that injury was secondary to the spinal cord damage, Mayer said.

Mayer said Utley has movement of his chest, arms, elbows, fingers and wrists, but he remained “quite weak.”

“He’s alert, he’s responsive. His spirit is really up,” Mayer said. “He’s a tough young fellow and has a very positive outlook. We really have to back off and wait to see what happens to him.”

The doctor declined to comment on whether any equipment could have prevented the injury.

Fontes informed the team of Utley’s situation during an early afternoon team meeting Monday.

“Something like this puts everything in perspective,” said tackle Roman Fortin, one of Utley’s closest friends on the team. “You learn what your priorities should be and football takes a back seat to this.

“Mike’s kind of a reckless, simple guy. He’s not real outspoken, but he just does what he does. My whole concern is that he recovers, but the hardest part is right now because of the uncertainty.”

Others said they had trouble believing it.

“One moment he’s right next to you and then he’s fighting to walk,” guard Eric Andolsek said. “You never think about something like this happening until it happens and hopefully the surgery will be successful and he’ll recover.”

The most serious injury in the NFL in recent years occurred on Aug. 12, 1978, when Darryl Stingley, a wide receiver for the New England Patriots, was paralyzed from the neck down when he was hit by Jack Tatum of the Raiders during an exhibition game in Oakland. Stingley has been paralyzed since.

Another player, safety Jeff Fuller of the San Francisco 49ers, had his career ended on Oct. 22, 1989.