Longtime high school football referee Jim Abbott lost his leg following a severe injury sustained during a scrimmage at Withrow High School in Cincinnati, Ohio, on August 14. The incident occurred when a player attempting a tackle missed his target and landed on Abbott, causing a devastating knee injury.
Abbott, who has been officiating high school games for three decades, described the injury as a gruesome knee trauma. He explained that his leg broke and the hardware from a previous knee replacement was damaged, severing vital tissues and blood vessels around the joint. Doctors determined that blood circulation to his leg could not be restored, leading to the difficult decision for an urgent above-the-knee amputation.
"The decision was, ‘Hey, we’ve gone as far as we can. If we delay any longer, we’re just going to lose more and more and more muscle,’" Abbott told Fox19. "So off came my leg."
A GoFundMe organized by Abbott's niece stated that initial assessments suggested a severely dislocated knee. Upon arrival at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, imaging revealed extensive damage. The injury compromised Abbott's artificial knee hardware and severed the main artery in his lower leg. Complications arose during emergency surgery, including significant blood loss, prompting surgical teams to proceed with the amputation.
Despite the life-altering injury, Abbott expressed a determination to set an example for handling adversity. "This is the hand I’m dealt. We’re going to play the hand. We’re going to win," he said. "This is a situation that was presented to me. I don’t have a choice. I can sit down in the fetal position and stay in bed, or I can get back up, rehab hard and get back to life as quickly as I can."
Following his release from the hospital, Abbott is expected to undergo an extended stay at an inpatient physical therapy facility. He hopes to be fitted with a prosthetic leg. As of Saturday, the GoFundMe had raised over $28,000.
Abbott also conveyed a message of understanding for the young player involved, stating he holds no ill will. "He needs to know that this was football. This is a collision sport; it’s written into the rules. What happened, happened," he said. "Man, good things are going to come to you. I don’t want him feeling badly. I don’t need to hear I’m sorry. This is football. It happened. What’s next? That’s my phrase. What’s next?"
Cincinnati Public Schools issued a statement offering "heartfelt concern and support" to Abbott, acknowledging his "decades of dedicated service to student-athletes throughout Greater Cincinnati."