Wilton Speight's father displeased with Purdue's handling of son's injury

Michigan's Jim Harbaugh has already ripped Purdue's visiting-team facilities following Wilton Speight's back injury, and now the quarterback's father has spoken out against the school too.

"What an absolute train wreck," Speight's father, Bobby, told Angelique S. Chengelis of The Detroit News.

Wilton suffered three fractured back vertebrae in the game and has not played since. Two days after the Wolverines' win, Harbaugh laid into Purdue, saying the facilities resembled something "from the '20s" and noting there was no X-ray equipment on scene.

Bobby offered more detail, saying the school had no police escort to help get the injured player to the hospital, and Wilton had to ride to the student health clinic in the front seat of a van.

After examination at the student health center, Michigan doctors determined the quarterback needed to go to a local hospital, but according to his father, the Purdue staff didn't know what one to send him to. Once they had decided, only a volunteer rescue team was available for transport instead of a full-time EMS unit.

"We waited 20 minutes for the rescue squad team," Bobby said. "At that point, Wilton says he has tingling in his legs and is in substantial pain. The EMT riding in the back of the ambulance asks us if we need an IV or vital monitoring and Thai Trinh (Michigan orthopedic sports medicine staff member) replied, 'No, but we need him stable and immobile, this is a back injury.'"

After finally being examined in the hospital, Wilton was eventually cleared to return to Michigan with the team.

The standout pivot will eventually be OK, but his father suggests other people keep Wilton's experience in mind as a cautionary tale when selecting schools for their children.

"I would cross off a school without a high-end medical program," Bobby warned.