Bull Rider Koby Radley Using Time off to Recover From Knee Injury
With rodeos on hold due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, bull rider Koby Radley is using his time to recover from a left knee injury.
Radley, who has competed at the last two Wrangler National Finals Rodeos, tore his anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus in his left knee Feb. 1 at the Fort Worth (Texas) Stock Show and Rodeo after he was bucked off Frontier Rodeo Company’s Milkman at Dickies Arena.
“When I came off in Fort Worth, the bull stepped on the back of my calf and it twisted my leg and my knee,” said Radley, 21. “I thought my leg was broken there for a second. I had surgery at the end of February and the (doctor) said I would be out about five months.”
Radley, who lives in Montpelier, La., wants to return to action around the first of July.
“That might be pushing it a little bit, but I’m hoping no later than the (first) of August,” he said. “I hate it for everybody else that rodeos aren’t going on right now because that’s how everybody makes their living, but it has helped me out a bunch because I can recover. It will be a little easier for me to catch up now.”
Radley said he had never had any serious problems with his left knee before this happened.
“I’ve had a few tweaks but nothing where I had to stop riding or wear braces or anything like that,” Radley said. “I knew when this happened that something was wrong. When I come back riding, I will have my knees braced up. My right knee was giving more problems than my left knee, so I will probably ride with braces on both my knees if I can get by with it just to prevent any injuries. I think if I would have had a brace on (my left knee) this injury probably wouldn’t have happened. I have never even taped my knees in the past, so it will be a game changer wearing braces. I have some practice bulls here at the house, and I’m going to have to get used to riding with them (braces) on.”
At the 2019 Wrangler NFR in Las Vegas, Radley missed rounds 8 through 10 after suffering a concussion in Round 7.
Radley was injured in Round 7 after he was bucked off and had the back of his head stepped on by his re-ride bull, 4L & Diamond S Rodeo’s Relentless, at the Thomas & Mack Center, Dec. 11.
Radley also received four stitches in his forehead from the impact of his head hitting the inside of his helmet. Relentless also stepped on Radley’s left hand but did not break it.
Radley was having a strong Wrangler NFR before the setback. He won Round 3 with an electric, 92-point ride on Big Stone Rodeo Inc.’s Spotted Demon, the 2018 PRCA Bull of the Year. Radley also finished second in Round 5 with a 90.5-point ride on Hampton Pro Rodeo’s Hacksaw Ridge.
Radley finished seventh in the PRCA | RAM World Standings with $195,349. In 2018, Radley finished 10th in the world standings.
Courtesy of PRCA