OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Baltimore Ravens cornerback Corey Ivy is in stable condition with a kidney tear after experiencing a medical scare significant enough that the team’s charter flight back from Denver made an unscheduled landing early Tuesday morning in Pittsburgh.
Ivy, 29, is expected to possibly stay for several days at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian Hospital under the observation of renal specialists. Team physician Andy Tucker stayed in Pittsburgh with Ivy, who suffered the injury in the third quarter of the Ravens’ 13-3 loss to the Broncos.
Team officials said the condition wasn’t life-threatening.
Ivy, whom doctors initially believed had a rib injury, experienced major discomfort during the Delta flight, which landed at Pittsburgh International Airport at 4:04 a.m. with the rest of the team arriving in Baltimore at 5:45 a.m.
“He’s comfortable,†Ravens coach Brian Billick said. “First and foremost, he apparently is OK. They have to go through a series of tests to find out the extent of what they need to do, and then what that they will do in terms of a time frame for him."
In his sixth year in the NFL and first season with the Ravens, Ivy got hurt on a punt return and re-entered the game after being examined on the sidelines. Ivy, a 5-foot-9, 188-pounder who previously played for the St. Louis Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is the team’s nickel back and a key part of the special teams.
“They thought it was a rib injury, and he felt pretty good,†Billick said. “He went back in, as Corey would. He’s a tough young man. Fortunately, it didn’t create further problems."
Added Tucker in a statement: “Corey was evaluated on the field a number of times after he was hit during a punt return in the third quarter. He was examined again after the game, including X-rays.
“His status changed during the flight when his discomfort became more significant. Although he was stable, we decided that we should get him to a hospital, where more sophisticated testing could be given, sooner rather than later.â€
Although medical officials didn’t think Ivy’s life was in danger, they wanted to get him immediate access to testing and treatment.
“The doctors had enough of a concern — obviously erring on the side of caution — to suggest we get Corey on the ground as quickly as possible," Billick said. "There was a situation, they reacted immediately in the best interest of the player, and it went like clockwork."
LITTLE SENTIMENT: Defensive end Trevor Pryce insisted that he didn’t carry a lot of extra feeling toward his return to Denver after being expelled for salary-cap reasons, a sentiment shared by former Broncos running back Mike Anderson.
“I have absolutely none because I don’t play here anymore,†Pryce said. “It’s business. It’s good to be home, but it’s not emotional.
“A lot of those guys are pretty good friends of mine. Tom Nalen had some pretty funny things to say."
QUICK HITS: Billick slipped badly on the wet turf and knocked over an official while running over to argue a call. “That field was so dang wet,†he said. “Purely accidental, of course. He knew I was coming. He was bracing himself. It took me a while to get that far. I thought it was an inappropriate call, and I wanted to share that perspective.†… Rookie punter Sam Koch averaged 48.6 yards on his first five punts, but his 10-yard shank out of bounds was costly. It directly led to Jason Elam’s game-winning field goal. … Offensive guard Jason Brown wasn’t too noticeable in his debut as a starter in place of injured left guard Edwin Mulitalo, which means he was fairly effective. His biggest errors occurred on a false-start penalty and when he surrendered an early sack to defensive end Ebenezer Ekuban, who burst through the gap between Brown and left tackle Jonathan Ogden on an intricate line stunt. Matt Stover has made his last 30 field goals, a personal and franchise best. … With cornerback Samari Rolle’s interception and linebacker Adalius Thomas’ sack, the Ravens have registered at least one each in all five of their games. … Musa Smith recorded career-highs for catches (six) and yards (53). … The nine total yards and six passing yards allowed by Baltimore in the first half are the fewest produced by Denver under coach Mike Shanahan, who has won his last 12 games at Invesco Field at Mile High. … Denver Nuggets star forward Carmelo Anthony stood on the sidelines, and the former Towson Catholic standout made it clear that he was rooting for his hometown Ravens.
Aaron Wilson covers the Baltimore Ravens for the Carroll County Times in Westminster, Maryland
