BUFFALO, N.Y. -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell flew to Buffalo on Thursday morning to visit with injured Bills tight end Kevin Everett, The Buffalo News reported on its Web site.
"He went to the hospital and visited with him for about 30 to 45 minutes," said Greg Aiello, NFL vice president for public relations, according to the newspaper. "He just wanted to go up and see him."
Goodell returned to the NFL offices in New York after the visit, the newspaper reported.
Doctors have expressed "cautious optimism" now that Everett, a reserve tight end, is showing significant signs of improvement.
Everett can wiggle his toes, bend his hip, move his ankles, elevate and kick his leg, as well as extend his elbows and slightly flex his biceps, said Dr. Kevin Gibbons, the supervisor of neurosurgery at Buffalo's Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital.
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But Everett, who's breathing on his own after being taken off a respirator Wednesday, cannot move his hands after sustaining a life-threatening spinal cord injury.
"There are some answers now. And many more questions remain," Gibbons said in an update to reporters Wednesday. "The patient's made significant improvement. But no one should think the functions in his legs is close to normal. Not even close. ... If you ask me, 'Would he walk again?' I would tell you that I wouldn't bet against it. But he has a long way to go."
Helyar: Support system
It won't be easy, but Kevin Everett's rehabilitation will be helped by Dennis Byrd, Mike Utley, Derrick Burroughs and other players who've suffered severe spine injuries, writes John Helyar. Story
Bills orthopedic surgeon Andrew Cappuccino improved his prognosis, too, saying he's "cautiously slightly more optimistic." That's a big improvement from Monday when Cappuccino said Everett's chances for a full neurologic recovery were "bleak, dismal."
Everett sustained the injury Sunday after ducking his head while tackling the Denver Broncos' Domenik Hixon during the second-half kickoff of the Bills' season opener. He dropped face-first to the ground after his helmet hit Hixon high on the left shoulder and side of the helmet.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
Source: ESPN.com
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