Devon Gales makes his return to football

Devon Gales, the former Southern University football player who was paralyzed in a 2015 game against UGA, is returning to football.

Gales has been hired as an assistant football coach at Jefferson High School, near Athens, Ga., per accessWDUN.com's Bo Wilson.

The new job will be around 20 miles away from UGA. In unrelated news, former UGA recruiting coordinator Bob Pittard is a social studies teacher at the same high school.

Per the website, the hiring of Gales was the idea of Jefferson superintendent Dr. John Jackson. It was after Gales shared his story with the Jefferson senior class.

“It was brought to our attention upon meeting this wonderful family that Devon missed the game and practices and being part of a football team in the game he still loved so much,” Jefferson coach Gene Cathcart told the website. “Dr. John Jackson had the idea of getting him involved in our program in some way and how our young men would benefit from his living example, character, strength in facing adversity and perseverance.”

Gales was already located in Jefferson. UGA donors and fans raised funds to build a handicapped-accessible house in Jefferson for Gales and his family.

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