“Significant Neck Sprain” Sidelines Butler Guard Rotnei Clark Indefinitely

Rotnei Clarke’s gruesome neck injury is not life threatening and the Butler senior guard will return at some point this season, Butler officials confirmed on Sunday.

Clarke suffered what an MRI revealed as a “significant neck sprain” after tumbling into the padding at the base of the basket stanchion in Saturday’s win at Dayton. Head team athletic trainer Ryan Gallow released in a statement that the MRI showed no damage to Clarke’s spinal cord and that a timetable for the sharpshooter’s return to the court remains unclear.

Galloy told reporters following the game Clarke lost feeling in his limbs after the collision, but regained feeling shortly before he left for the hospital. The Arkansas transfer gave a thumbs-up sign to cheering fans as was carted off the court on a stretcher.

Clarke was transported to Miami Valley Hospital and underwent a CT scan, which came up negative. He returned to Indianapolis with the team on Sunday.

Clarke is unlikely to return in time for the team’s next game—Wednesday against Richmond—and is in dangerous of missing next Saturday’s showdown against Gonzaga as well. The game-changing combo guard leads the Bulldogs in scoring and 3-point shooting. He extended his streak of games played with at least one made 3-pointer to 28 before departing early on Saturday.