From his bed at the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, Brian Farrell listened to the radio broadcast of the Terrapin men’s lacrosse team’s late February game against Duke.
For the moment, his cracked ribs and difficulty breathing seemed less pressing than his team’s first conference game against the rival Blue Devils, which took place within walking distance at M&T Bank Stadium.
The attending nurse disagreed.
“It was tied in the third quarter and they’re like, ‘Alright, we gotta take you down for surgery,” Farrell said. “I was like, ‘Are you serious?’ I was in surgery when they finished the game.
“When I came back my dad gave me the thumbs up,” continued Farrell, referring to the Terps’ 11-8 win. “I was like, ‘Ah, f— yeah!'”
At that point, Farrell still thought he would be able to return to the field this season. But he played just three games this year, the last of which was a Feb. 21 contest against Georgetown.
Last week, his season officially ended when he decided to seek a medical redshirt. The junior defender still had not been cleared to play after doctors discovered broken ribs and a buildup of blood around his lungs the week after he was hit while scoring a goal against Air Force on Feb. 14.
“It just doesn’t make any sense [to bring him back], and that’s saying that he’s gonna be cleared in the near future,” coach Dave Cottle said. “I think the decision to redshirt him was kinda taken out of our hands when he wasn’t cleared medically.”
The decision has been tough on Farrell. It’s not surprising, considering he once celebrated the success of the Terps over his own successful surgery.
After spending more than a week in the hospital, Farrell returned to the sideline for the Terps matchup with Towson. He looked gaunt and pale, having lost 17 pounds. But standing there in street clothes, he felt worse than he looked.
“It’s miserable,” Farrell said. “You’re sitting there, you just want to strap on a helmet. You’re sitting there and you can’t do anything about it. … That’s the killer.”
His injury looked like it would set back the inexperienced defense. With Farrell penciled in as a starter, the Terps turned to long pole Brett Schmidt to fill in.
Farrell is a tough guy to replace: He was a preseason second team All-American and was named to the Tewaaraton Trophy preseason watch list. But the defense has held up better than expected, ranking seventh in the country in goals-against average.
It’s actually the offense, stagnant at times, that has suffered from the absence of the versatile long pole who tallied eight goals and three assists last year.
“Him going from defense to offense – he’s the best in the country at doing that,” defender Max Schmidt said. “That’s probably the biggest thing we miss, just his presence on the field.”
What they have gained is a presence on the sideline. Even when he can’t play, Farrell can’t contain his enthusiasm.
“If you watch him on the sidelines you can see him jumping everywhere,” defender Brett Schimdt said. “He’s probably the one most into the game.”
And his knowledge of the game is still appreciated.
“He always gives me advice every time I come off the field,” Schmidt continued. “I always have an open ear for him cause he knows what he’s doing.”
Farrell has become more comfortable in this role as the season progressed. The sting of not playing has somewhat lessened. Farrell continues to show up for meetings, dissect film and chat up his teammates.
“He’s been very mature about this and I’ve been quite impressed with him as a human being in terms of what he’s trying to do for these guys,” Cottle said. “I think he feels terrible that he’s not helping them. He knows that he could make an impact. But at the same end he’s making an impact off the field talking to the defenseman, trying to help them out.”
On the sideline, teammates are likely to hear encouraging words from Farrell, though he gives pointers here and there.
“It’s the one thing right now I can give to this team,” Farrell said. “If we’re gonna make a run, I’m gonna try to cheer my ass off or do the best I can on the sidelines to help out.”
Just as Farrell cares for the team, they care for him. And his teammates’ understanding has helped him cope with the injury.
“I was in the hospital for 10 days, shock trauma,” Farrell said. “To come back and think I’m gonna perform at 100 percent, the way I think I’m capable of doing, was really unrealistic for this year. They understood that. That’s why they’re my teammates and that’s why I care about every single one of them.”
His teammates feel the same way. While Farrell was in the hospital, a group of Terps traveled to Baltimore to see him.
But no matter what he looks like rooting on the team, Farrell still seems pained by the missed time. On the sideline, it’s hard not to miss the action.
“The camaraderie being in the team, just before a game when everyone’s getting pumped up,” Farrell said. “But when you know you’re playing, you know you’re gonna be out on the field with everybody, it’s just that other adrenaline rush that you can’t feel unless you’re on the field.”
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