FRISCO, Texas – Rico Gathers was looking forward to a home ovation.
Last August, the first-year tight end had just caught a touchdown pass in each of his first two preseason games and was in line for more snaps when the Cowboys returned from Oxnard, California to take on the Indianapolis Colts.
He never took the field again in 2017 for a game or practice.
An accidental helmet-to-helmet collision during an Aug. 15 practice landed Gathers in concussion protocol, and he spent the rest of the year on Reserve/Injured.
“It was agonizing because I felt like I had finally gotten rhythm of what I wanted to do and I think they (the Cowboys) saw that,” Gathers said.