Student returns as coach after spinal injury

Before his injury, Mr Wills-Johnson played up to 20 hours of contact sports a week

A student forced to stop playing American football after suffering a spinal injury has returned to his team as a coach.

Archie Wills-Johnson, 21, from Gloucestershire, took up the sport while studying biology at the University of Bristol in 2021.

Halfway through a match in December 2022 he felt a “big electric shock” course down his right arm, which turned out to be a herniated (damaged) disk.

Mr Wills-Johnson has now returned to the Bristol Barracudas, as coach and vice president.

Mr Wills-Johnson (centre) took up American football in 2021

Mr Wills-Johnson's injury meant the cartilage between his vertebrae was compressing his spinal cord.

Experts said that without treatment, the electric shocks down his arms would persist and he could risk paralysing himself if he ever played contact sports again.

“I was really scared, I didn’t know what was happening,” he said.

“The surgeons went through my neck at the front and they took out the cartilage between my fifth and sixth vertebrae.

"They replaced it with a block of titanium and screwed it to the bone above and below.”

The student, from Cheltenham, said he had previously played up to 20 hours of contact sport a week.

He was suddenly left without an outlet, experiencing chronic pain while recovering from an operation.

Mr Wills-Johnson is still recovering after he had a section of the cartilage in his neck removed and replaced with titanium

“I still have symptoms now and doctors aren’t sure if I’ll ever fully heal,” he said.

“I’m still not sure what caused it. I had some low level nerve pain in my shoulder before the electric shock feeling, so it was probably wear and tear followed by a sudden hit, but it’s hard to pinpoint it exactly.”

Despite the setback, Mr Wills-Johnson, who played as linebacker and safety, did not want to “quit on [his] friends or quit on [his] position” as a member of the club.

He soon returned to the Barracudas, helping the team with techniques, video analysis and behind-the-scenes management.

Mr Wills-Johnson has since been elected Vice-President of Bristol Barracudas

Mr Wills-Johnson was recently awarded an Outstanding PLUS Award from the University for his resilience.

Celeste Waller-Carr, award manager for Bristol Plus Awards, said: "We were really inspired by Archie and his determination to keep giving back to the club he loves."