West Virginia's Aubrey Burks spotted celebrating win with team following scary injury

West Virginia Mountaineers safety Aubrey Burks (2) celebrates with safety Marcis Floyd (24) after intercepting the ball in the end zone in the first quarter of the 2023 Duke's Mayo Bowl.
West Virginia Mountaineers safety Aubrey Burks (2) celebrates with safety Marcis Floyd (24) after intercepting the ball in the end zone in the first quarter of the 2023 Duke's Mayo Bowl. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
facebooktwitterreddit

As West Virginia football went back-and-forth with Kansas before an eventual late deficit turned to a comeback win, Mountaineer fans experienced a roller coaster of emotions on Saturday. The scariest moment of the nerve-wracking affair was when Mountaineer veteran Aubrey Burks was stretchered off the field in a neck brace following an injury.

On what seemed like an uneventful play where Burks made it to the sideline seeming fine, Burks must have took a shot that soon left him feeling quite unwell, as he was soon seen lying prone on the sideline as he was given the brace and carefully carried off the field for an immediate evaluation at Ruby Memorial Hospital across the street. ESPN reporters seemed under the impression their was concern was a back injury.

The Mountaineers managed a win without Burks, and that wasn't the only good news at the end of the anxiety-inducing game. Brown noted in his post-game press conference that he saw Burks back on the sideline following the team's game-winning touchdown. Then as the Mountaineers celebrated, WVU sports reporter Ryan Decker captured some video of Burks basking in the win in perhaps the best way: he borrowed Decker's camera to get some close-up film of the team celebrating the win with Mountaineer Nation as they worked their way to the locker room.



Brown vaguely described the situation as an "upper-body injury" and had a very positive update, although no timetable for Burks' return to action.

"He's in good spirits, and all the tests were clear," Brown said.