No one knew if Kevin Everett would make it back to Ralph Wilson stadium. Everett wanted it that way.
With no fanfare and as few cameras as possible, Everett walked--thats right, he walked--into the Bills locker room about two hours before his teammates took on the New York Giants in the second-to-last game of the year on Sunday.
He did not walk on the field and wave to fans. He did not hold a press conference. He didnt even give his teammates a pregame speech.
Everett quietly met with teammates individually and then rode a wheelchair out of the locker room back to a golf cart-sized mode of transportation. Everett was then taken to the owners box to watch the game. He was cheered by fans and Bills staff wherever he went.
His teammates echoed those cheers. "To see him in good spirits and smiling, talking... its so heartfelt, its really hard to put into words," Bills receiver Lee Evans said.
"Its inspirational to me to see him here," said safety Donte Whitner. "And not just be here, to be able to walk around and shake guys hands and tell them how much he misses them." Head coach Dick Jauron called Everetts arrival a "great gift."
The Bills started fast, taking a 14-0 lead, but ended up losing to the Giants 38-21.