Behm: "I'm Going to Walk Again"

The paralyzed scouting assistant plans to walk again

By SCOTT M. CRISP

Updated 4:50 PM CDT, Wed, Jul 22, 2009

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On what started as an unremarkable Saturday afternoon at the Dallas Cowboys Valley Ranch training facility, team scout Rich Behm’s life changed forever.

The practice bubble that served as Dallas’ indoor training facility collapsed during a relentless, driving thunderstorm during a rookie mini-camp in early-May; special teams coach Joe DeCamillis suffered a fractured vertebrae requiring surgery.

Behm was left paralyzed, unlikely to ever walk again.

Only two months later though, Behm says otherwise.

"[I'm] still going to walk again," Behm said this week, the first time he has spoken publically about the accident. "It's no big deal. That's a goal, and so I'm sticking to that."

This is both remarkable and, the more you learn about Behm as a person, completely predictable. This is a man, after all, who shocked many with his decision to return to work only a few weeks after the accident.

Wade Phillips remarked on Behm’s progress, “You know, the players can't say they are tired and can't get back when a guy like Rich shows all the heart he's shown.”

This is only another step in what has been, and will be, a long fight. "I'm still trying to learn how to deal with what's happened to me right now in terms of getting on with my normal life," Behm continued. "I can't even drive a car."

Behm recently hired high-profile Dallas attorney Frank Branson to explore a possible lawsuit against Summit Structures, the company that built the structure. It is unlikely that the team will be held responsible in the incident.