The words of Sam Bradford

On all that went into the decision:
It was like making the decision last year whether to stay in school or enter the draft. I wanted to get as many opinions as possible. I talked with as many people as I could to make the right decision. After talking to a lot of people, it seemed like this was the unanimous decision that everyone came to.

On realizing he won’t play for OU again:
I dreamed about coming here. The first time I got hurt, I was sitting on the sidelines knowing I was coming back. That was the light at the end of the tunnel. But to make this decision and realize I’m going to be playing my last game at Oklahoma, it’s really tough.

On whether he’ll wait to hire an agent:
No, I’m not going to see any agents until after the season. By doing that, I wouldn’t get to travel and take part with this team. If the surgery doesn’t go well, then I do have the possibility of returning. Hopefully, though, that’s not an issue.

On whether he’ll know enough about his shoulder to feel comfortable moving on to the NFL in January:
As long as I’m on the right track, and doctors feel I’m making the right progress, I’ll have enough information to make that decision.

On how he got connected with James Andrews:
At first, it’s something our doctors wanted to send images, when it first happened, to him. We just kind of stayed in contact with him ever since. My dad has been corresponding with him.

On why he delayed his announcement:
Sunday after the game, I talked with coach Stoops, I felt I would be ready to make a statement by then. I don’t think I realized the magnitude of the situation and information to make that decision, I just felt like the decision needed more time necessary, a couple extra days.

On what information he got:
Coach Stoops talked to several people late last week and got some information, very important information for me and good stuff to hear from those people.

On the finality of his career:
My teammates have been great. They have supported me all through it. Last week was the hardest game I ever had to sit on the sidelines. Especially to come into the locker room and see everybody celebrating. And realize that I’m not really going to be part of that anymore. Pretty tough.

On the rest of the season:
I think a lot of things are still in front of this team. I’m extremely proud of the way they bounced back after Texas. I still feel they fought tremendously hard that Texas game. But to rebound the way we did and go on the road in a tough atmosphere and to get a win, that just shows the character of this team and where we’re going the rest of this year.

On why he needs surgery now:
Really the same thing. When it first happened, surgery, everybody felt that wasn’t need. Everyone felt that the best thing was to let the shoulder heal itself. We tried that. It did heal and I was able to play. But the first hit I took it re-injured it and they felt like every time I kept coming back it would re-injured it. The surgery will repair the joint and put it back to normal and strengthen it.

On coming back a second time:
I thought that was a possibility. I wasn’t sure what the doctors were going to tell me. I knew there was a possibility they were going to tell me my season was over. I thought I might be able to come back, but they told me that wasn’t going to happen.

On Landry Jones:
I think Landry is a great player. He’s been put into some tough situations. It’s not easy coming in the middle of a game. Especially not getting as many reps during practice. Landry is stepping up and being a leader of this team. Last week, I was extremely proud of him. Going on the road playing against a ranked team and playing the way he did, I think it shows the tremendous upside that he has. I think he’s going to be a great quarterback here.

On looking at the positive of the surgery:
That’s where my mindset is right now. It’s unfortunate that I have to have surgery but I look forward to the rehab process and getting my shoulder back to where it is and getting to the draft and showing everybody I’m still the same player I was before I got hurt.

On his popularity:
Like I said earlier, these guys have been so supportive and I think that’s one of the hardest things about being hurt. We go through so much together. We go through workouts together – I spend more time with these guys than I do anyone else. To go through as much as we do and to have it taken away and not get to play with them and not get to compete with them, that’s the hardest thing and that’s the hardest thing about sitting on the sideline. Knowing that if I was healthy, I could help these guys. It’s just a helpless feeling that I can’t be out there with them.

On what might have been if he hadn’t gotten hurt:
I don’t know if I can really answer that. We are extremely close and we’ve had three losses by I think five points. We’re a couple of plays away in every game from winning. Like I said, I think this team has a lot of character and it was shown last week the way we came out and played against Kansas. I think everyone realizes we still have a lot of football left in this season and I look forward to helping these guys win.