THE SIDELINES : Surgery for Paralyzed Athlete

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Chucky Mullins, a University of Mississippi football player paralyzed by a broken neck suffered in a game this past season, has undergone surgery to remove pressure from a nerve that controls breathing.

Doctors at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis said the surgery, performed Tuesday, could help Mullins’ breathing but is unlikely to help him regain any movement.

Mullins, who has been paralyzed from the shoulders down since the Oct. 28 game, was reported doing well after the surgery.

Dr. Clarence Watridge said the surgery removed pieces of two vertebrae and some bone fragments from Mullins’ spinal cord. Doctors said the surgery could help him get off the ventilator that has helped him breathe.