FSU defensive tackle Wood reflects on life-threatening injury scare

For Cedric Wood, the darkest time for him personally was on the sideline of the 2018 season opener against Virginia Tech.

Going into that year, the Godby High School graduate thought he was going to be a contributor on the defensive line for the hometown Seminoles.

Then, in an instant, his football career came perilously close to ending.

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"It could've been a life-ending injury, honestly," Wood said. "Thank God I'm still here, still have full use of my hand. I'm just glad to be back at it."

Wood sliced open his hand on broken glass during what he described as an “off-field accident.” The damage severed an artery and 10 tendons, he said. His season was over. Wood suffered nerve damage that required him to go to rehab every day.

It was during that time, when Wood knew he wasn't going to play, when he just had to watch as the Seminoles lost to the Hokies, when he had to show up to practice but wanted to be anywhere else, that defensive line coach Odell Haggins was at his side the most.

"I honestly feel like if it wasn't for him, I probably would have gave up and been like I don't want to do this anymore," Wood said on Wednesday morning. "I didn't have any fight left in me when that injury happened. So he kept pushing me even when I didn't have any push left."

Wood had played in just two games in his first two seasons at Florida State — against Delaware State in 2017 and then against Southern Miss in the bowl game that year.

Then, when he finally thought he was going to see the field consistently for the Seminoles, he severed an artery and was out for the season.

Along with the opener against the Hokies, there were plenty of other dark times for Wood. He said he isolated himself after the injury, but Haggins made sure he didn't give up.

"He kept pushing me and pushing me and pushing me and telling me, 'Hey, if you let yourself spiral down, then it's going to be even harder to pick you back up,'" Wood said. "So I had to think about that daily and pick myself up."

Now he's here. Back in pads. Back in the gold helmet. Even getting some reps with the first team with Marvin Wilson still out with a knee injury.

There's no way to know exactly how much Wood is going to play in 2019, but he's definitely going to see the field more than he has his first three years on campus.

His hand, he says, is virtually back to normal. He still goes to rehab two days a week, but he says he's "feeling a lot better as far as my mental health, my physical health. I can do everything."

Said junior Cory Durden: "He's definitely stepped up. I like the stuff we're seeing from him. We're going to need him. So it's good to see him step up. Especially considering the stuff he's been through.

"It just makes me happy to see him step up and finally get his chance."

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