Seems a little far fetched to me...that a non researcher or heavy science person could just magically come up with a solution to say "fixing an ACL tear, a common, but highly scientific procedure." What if the jock sacrifice his body for the same optimist goal? More real, and more dangerous.
Something like this:
After an injury ruins his scholarship, a jock volunteers for experimental robotic procedures to help him, and thousands of others, restore independent mobility.
A noble cause...and what could possibly go wrong? ?