Claridge itching to ditch cast

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Aug. 14, 2003 | 9:53 a.m.

Ryan Claridge began the week as a starting linebacker for UNLV. Now he seems better suited to be a podiatrist.

Less than two days after having his left foot put in a cast for what at first was thought to be three broken bones, Claridge says he is hoping to get the cast taken off today.

Claridge was originally supposed to have the injured foot in a cast until Monday before beginning rehabilitation exercises. But after sitting out the 2002 season with a torn abdominal muscle, Claridge is eager to get back on the field. He has even begun lobbying team medical personnel to let him return to action much sooner than the original six-to-eight week prognosis.

"The doctor came to school today and I kept bugging him and bugging him," Claridge said. "He looked at the X-rays and the CT-Scan with the rest of the doctors and talked to the radiologist and they decided it was an old fracture and an old break. I begged them to come in to get the cast cut off. I said, 'Hey, if I have been playing with it broken why not keep on playing with it as long as we can get the swelling down?' "

Claridge said he probably wouldn't practice tonight but "practice is a lot nearer than what we first thought. Probably a couple of days."

UNLV trainer Kyle Wilson raised his eyebrows when informed of Claridge's comments.

"My understanding is the cast will still come off on Monday," he said.

Claridge was asked if he was worried that maybe he was rushing back too soon from his injury.

"No worry at all," he said. "I've just got to go. Sometimes you've just got to go."

Nantkes appeared to still be in quite a bit of pain as he walked around the field.

"It's not as good as I thought it would be now," he said. "I'm going to see a chiropractor (today). Right now I'd rather err on the side of caution than come back too soon."

Nantkes has missed six of UNLV's 11 fall practices so far.

"He's going to undergo a trademill test (today)," Wilson said. "They want to rule out any possible cardiac problems. They did a chest X-ray and a CT-Scan when he was first admitted and they were normal. But they just want to make sure everything is OK before releasing him."

Jackson, a graduate of Paraclete High School in Palmdale, Calif., is expected to contribute on special teams this fall.