CINCINNATI — For more than 40 years, Jim Abbott has officiated high school sports, with a particular love for football games.
“The best is working with other officials," Abbott said.
On Aug. 14, Abbott was officiating a routine scrimmage at Withrow High School.
He said he was working as the Umpire, positioned behind the defensive line.
During one play, Abbott said he remembers the running back coming in his direction before he found himself mixed up in the tackle. He said the next thing he knew, he was on the ground.
“I was pretty sure I was hurt, and I looked down at my toes and instead of my right foot pointing straight up in the air, my knee and my right foot were pointing to the right to the ground," Abbott said.
WATCH: Hear how Abbott is approaching recovery after the life-changing injury:
Abbott was rushed to UC Medical Center.
He said he received outstanding care from staff, but part of what made his injury so serious was because of a knee replacement he had nearly a decade ago.
“The artificial knee is made out of some pretty indestructible stuff," Abbott said. "It did some damage and some destruction to my lower leg and veins and arteries and stuff that goes down there.”
His injuries were so severe that his leg had to be amputated above the knee.
Despite the devastating injury, Abbott said he's not dwelling on what happened.
“The leg’s gone," Abbott said. "Sitting there being mad or sad or grieving or whatever, there’s no place for that. That’s not how America rolls, baby. We pick ourselves up, we handle what was given to us, we handle the cards that we’re dealt and we play ‘em.”
Abbott isn't alone in his recovery, either.
His niece created a GoFundMe page to help support Abbott and his wife.
Abbott said he's grateful for the support from the community. He said he's now focused on getting better every day with the hope that he'll eventually be back out on the gridiron on Friday nights.
“The way I’m going to say thank you is by working as hard as I can in rehab and getting through it as quickly as I possibly can," Abbott said.
Cincinnati Public Schools sent WCPO the following statement regarding what happened to Abbott:
Cincinnati Public Schools extends our heartfelt concern and support to Jim Abbott, who was injured while officiating a football scrimmage at Withrow High School. We are grateful for Jim’s decades of dedicated service to student-athletes throughout Greater Cincinnati. Our thoughts are with Jim, his family and the entire officiating community as he continues his recovery.
