Fickell somber on early status of Mellusi’s leg injury

WEST LAFAYETTE, In. (WMTV) - In Wisconsin’s 38-17 win over Purdue to open Big Ten play on Friday, Badger running back Chez Mellusi went down with 6:37 left in the fourth quarter with a scary-looking injury to his lower left leg.

Mellusi was carted off the field in an air cast in an emotional scene and was taken to a local hospital.

The Florida-native has a history of rather intense injuries. He tore his ACL in 2021, then broke his arm last year.

While any conference road win is celebrated, head coach Luke Fickell said after the game the locker room was emotional. He was somber when describing Mellusi’s status.

“I don’t know that it looks good,” Fickell said. “You know, they’re hurting in there. If we lose him for a while, it’ll be tough. He’s not just a great football player for us, he’s not just a great tailback. He’s a bit of the heart and soul of some of the things that we do because of all the things he has gone through. All the ups and the downs and the injuries, to have the attitude he has is, he is a big part. If he can’t play for a while, he’ll still be a really big part of what we do.”

The Badgers are on a bye this week.

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