New England Patriots starting running back Stevan Ridley was the recipient of one of the most bone-crushing hits in a high profile game in recent memory during the 2012 AFC Championship Game.
Ridley, who was knocked cold by Baltimore Ravens safety Bernard Pollard, left the game with a concussion and hasn't been heard from until Thursday.
"I thank the Lord that I'm healthy and brought me back," Ridley said via the Boston Herald. "All I can do now is move forward from that, but it was a nice hit that I took. Just got to shake it off. Comes with the game.
"It wasn't pretty at all. It was one of the worst ones that I took in my life. Besides that, it comes with the game. Sometimes it's others, and sometimes it's ourselves. But either way, I love the game, and I love football."
Ridley doesn't have a history of concussions, so it might not be a big long-term concern. Even better news is that annual Patriots-killer Pollard isn't on the schedule this year after he signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans in the offseason.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.