EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- New York Giants defensive back Logan Ryan credited a team trainer with potentially saving the life of his wife after she underwent emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy Tuesday in Florida.
Ashley Ryan went to Florida earlier this week to vote and check on the couple's house. She was feeling intense stomach pain early Tuesday morning and wanted to sleep it off.
"I talked to one of our trainers about the symptoms. He said, 'No, she needs to go to the [emergency room],'" said Logan Ryan, who was experiencing pain after suffering a hip injury Monday night during a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Ashley Ryan took the advice of assistant trainer Justin Maher. It proved vital.
"She ended up going to surgery and they ended up saving her and preventing a lot of what could have been done," Logan Ryan said Wednesday on a video conference call with reporters. "That was a trainer on our team, Justin Maher, telling my wife to go to the ER at 1 a.m. It could have saved her life or saved a lot of internal bleeding there."
An ectopic pregnancy is when a fertilized egg grows outside a woman's uterus. In this case, it was in Ashley Ryan's fallopian tube, which was about to burst. Emergency surgery was necessary.
Logan Ryan said his wife is recovering well. He stoically and collectively expressed gratitude to both Maher and the Giants' organization after attending practice Wednesday in New Jersey.
"And that is the type of organization we have here. Honestly, I wasn't going to talk about that. My kids are OK. My wife is recovering well. She is OK. This happened all yesterday," Ryan said. "And [coach Joe Judge] said, if you need to fly to Florida, don't worry about football. That's what Joe is as a man and as a coach."
Ryan, 29, signed late with the Giants (1-8) during training camp. His relationship with Judge from their years together in New England admittedly factored heavily into the decision.
"I'll do everything I can to play for a coach like that and an organization like this because if that wasn't the case, I don't know if I'd be here today," Ryan said. "And honestly, I'm extremely grateful for this organization and Joe and for everybody to understand things are bigger than football, especially this year."