Jay Williams, a former Duke All-American and current guard for the Chicago Bulls who crashed his week-old motorcycle into a tree in Chicago's North Side June 19, was released from Duke Medical Center July 16.
"His family has rented a home down there [in Durham], and he is doing some rehab there now," Bulls general manager John Paxson told the Chicago Sun-Times. "They are still trying to decide when to have surgery on his knee. They are looking into who they want to do the surgery."
After surviving what could have been a fatal accident, Williams underwent two surgeries on his pelvic area and left leg in a Chicago hospital. His agent, Bill Duffy, Williams took a step with the assistance of a physical therapist around the July 4th holiday.
The former National Player of the Year, who has made "substantial improvements," was transferred July 3rd to Duke Medical Center, where he began rehabilitation work on his knee, according to a press release from the Williams family.
Duffy is thus far optimistic about Williams' future return to the court.
"It is very positive," Duffy told the Associated Press July 3. "We're all praying diligently, and Jay has a great outlook. He's making progress, and we're all very excited."
"Our goal is that Jay will be back on the court in 2004-05, earning the money the Bulls are paying him,'' Duffy told Sports Illustrated in an interview last week.
The money Duffy is referring to is linked to Williams' contract, which clearly stated that he was not permitted to drive a motorcycle, a clause that is common on the contracts of many professional athletes because of the heightened risk of injury with riding motorcycles. Despite Williams' disregard for this clause, the Bulls organization chose to honor 7.7 million dollars which remained on Williams' three-year deal.
"We're supporting him in his rehabilitation process and look forward to staying in touch with him and hope only the best for Jay," Paxson told the Associated Press.
"I was with him on Friday,'' Krzyzewski told a horde of reporters the week after the accident. "I was able to fly in there and sneak in there so I could just have some private time with him.... I've spoken with his family every day since to try to offer assistance, not just encouragement, but whatever Duke University and its medical facilities can do.''
Krzyzewski had been in Colorado at a speaking engagement, and was able to re-route his return to Durham with a stop to visit his former star.
Regardless, Williams' leaving the Medical Center is certainly a good sign that Krzyzewski's premonition will prove correct, as the Hall of Fame coach stated a few days after the accident that he would be "shocked" if he did not play again.
No timetable has been set for Williams' further rehabilitation, though the process will be reported by the Chicago Bulls at a later date.
Several of the reasons Krzyzewski and his former Blue Devil teammates like Carlos Boozer have listed for Williams' probably recovery are familiar to all fans of Duke basketball: his unwavering spirit, dedication, character and unwillingness to give in.
Members of the Duke Medical Center declined comment, citing the family's request that complete privacy be granted to Jason during his rehabilitation period.
In addition, Duffy failed to return several messages left for him at his offices by The Chronicle.
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