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Oklahoma’s Attorney General Gives Official Commendation To John Mateer’s Hand Surgeon

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by Last Updated
Oklahoma QB John Mateer

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Nothing sums up the essence of college football like a hand surgeon becoming a veritable celebrity for simply doing their job. That’s the treatment Dr. Steven Shin got after he was tapped to address the thumb injury that will sideline Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer for the foreseeable future, and the state’s attorney general went as far as to issue an official commendation to honor his contribution.

It seemed fair to suggest Oklahoma was Back after the Sooners got off to a 4-0 start in the wake of a disappointing 6-7 showing last season. Former Washington State QB John Mateer was an instrumental factor in that turnaround, and there was obviously plenty of cause for concern after fans learned he’d suffered a hand injury he played through while helping the team improve to 4-0 with a win over Auburn last weekend.

There was even more cause for concern when the school announced Mateer had opted to undergo surgery that will keep him sidelined for at least a month, which was not a great development for a fanbase that will have to put its fate in Michael Hawkins Jr. for a slate of games that includes showdowns with Texas, South Carolina, and (if the man he replaced isn’t healthy enough to return) Ole Miss.

Mateer’s hand was thankfully in good hands, as he headed to Los Angeles for an operation that was conducted by world-renowned hand surgeon Steven Shin, the doctor who found himself hailed as a hero among the Sooner faithful.

Oklahoma’s attorney general issued a commendation honoring Dr. Steven Shin for performing hand surgery on John Mateer

Mateer traveled more than 1,200 miles from Norman to Los Angeles in order to get the best care possible with some help from Dr. Steven Shin, the Brown educated hand surgeon who has previously helped notable names including Steph Curry, Drew Brees, and Mike Trout bounce back from some setbacks.

Sooner Nation was responsible for turning Shin into a venerated figure while hyping up his surgical abilities, and Mateer referred to him as the “GOAT” after revealing the surgery had been a success on Thursday—a day after one fan headed to the building where it was performed to present a gift to the physician.

The good doctor also got some props from Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, an Oklahoma State grad who put his loyalties aside to honor him for his “dedication, professionalism and admirable commitment to helping to ensure great football” in the commendation that was issued on Thursday.

Mateer is expected to miss around a month, and while Oklahoma shouldn’t have much trouble with Kent State next week, the competition will get much stiffer when their SEC gauntlet officially kicks off with a showdown with Texas in Austin on October 11th.