St. Louis Rams cornerback Ron Bartell is out of his neck brace and said Friday he plans on playing again after fracturing his neck in his team's season-opening game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bartell has missed the rest of the season with the injury, which did not require surgery. After taking off the neck brace he wore for more than three months, Bartell said Friday he won't quit football because of the injury.
"Oh yeah, there's no question," Bartell told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "No doubt about it. It's something I love to do. Something I've done my whole life. I get a second chance to play. A lot of guys don't get that opportunity. You're talking about breaking your neck, basically -- a lot of guys don't have the opportunity to play again. So of course, I'm going to take advantage of it."
Bartell plans on working on his range of motion and strengthening the muscles around his neck in the offseason. Though scary, the exact nature of the injury actually helped Bartell make his decision to play again.
"If surgery were (needed), then I'd have to think long and hard," Bartell said. "But I don't have to go through that. So I'm cool."
Bartell is one of 15 Rams players, including six cornerbacks, on injured reserve.
For a complete breakdown of all injuries around the league, visit NFL.com's injury page.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
