Oklahoma City Injury Updates: Oliver to Get Shoulder Surgery
By: Justin Felisko
OKLAHOMA CITY – Kyler Oliver knows that if he cannot even put on his T-shirt without dislocating his shoulder, then he certainly is not going to be able to ride a 1,500-pound bull.
Such was the case on Sunday morning as Oliver was in his hotel room preparing for Championship Sunday of the PBR Express Ranches Invitational in Oklahoma City. Oliver was putting his shirt on and getting ready to meet with Dr. Tandy Freeman and the PBR Sports Medicine Team, and his left shoulder had already come out of socket two times.
“It is such a gross feeling,” Oliver said. “It is a sick-to-your-stomach feeling. It is almost like slow motion. I could hear it and feel it grinding.”
Oliver has had an unstable shoulder for quite some time, and the injury has progressively gotten worse this season. The 21-year-old aggravated the injury on Saturday night in the back pens of Chesapeake Energy Arena when a bull clipped him as he was putting his bull rope on the back of Cuttin Torch for his Round 1 matchup.
“A bull either hooked me or kicked me through the fence, and I tried to catch myself, and I popped my arm out in the back pens bracing the fall,” Oliver said.
Oliver was able to get his shoulder back in place, and he crawled aboard Cuttin Torch thinking he could battle through the injury. However, Cuttin Torch wound up jerking him forward in the chutes, yanking on his shoulder and leading to another dislocation.
The Roy, Utah, native was unable to compete in Round 1, and he was eventually ruled out for Round 2 on Sunday.
After meeting with Freeman, Oliver has decided his best option is to undergo reconstructive surgery and sit out for six months.
“I need to get it fixed so my career will continue to last,” Oliver said. “As much as I want to make the Finals this year, and every year, I think it would just be smart for me to go get it fixed. By the end of the year, I will be back, and I will have a good start on the next year and be ready to go and be confident in my shoulder. I don’t have confidence in my shoulder now. If you are not 100% focused on the bull riding, you can’t go out and win.”
Oliver is ranked 19th in the world standings, and he was looking forward to finishing out 2021, his first full season on the Unleash The Beast, on a strong note. Instead, he will now be scoreboard-watching to see how far he drops in the world standings and if he can qualify for the 2021 PBR World Finals in Las Vegas on Nov. 3-7.
The reality is that by the time Oliver is cleared to return, it may be too little too late.
“I am hoping I don’t drop down too far, that I am in it,” Oliver concluded. “Obviously, I would have been off for six months, though. I don’t think there is any reason why I can’t bounce back pretty quick, especially with the confidence in my shoulder actually being fixed. That would let me ride even better.”
LOCKWOOD MISSES CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY; ADDITIONAL INJURY UPDATES
In other injury news, Eduardo Aparecido was unable to attempt to ride his Round 2 bull, The Tribe, after the bull jerked him forward, causing him to sprain his left SI joint, per Dr. Freeman.
Kyle Jones is questionable for next weekend’s event in Nampa, Idaho, according to Dr. Freeman, after he sustained a concussion during his 3.67-second buckoff against Con-Air in Round 2.
Follow Justin Felisko on Twitter @jfelisko
Photo courtesy of Andy Watson/Bull Stock Media
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