DeKALB | A familiar face walked into the Yordon Center on Friday afternoon.

Devon Butler spoke publicly for the first time, less than three weeks after the April 5 shooting that left him fighting for his life.

The first words that came out of Butler’s mouth on Friday were of thanks for the kindness that people around DeKalb have shown him since the incident.

“First and foremost, I would like to thank everyone for all their prayers, calls, text messages and all my get-well messages while in the hospital,” Butler said. “Those were a few days that I definitely don’t want to relive.”

Prior to being released as a patient on Tuesday, Butler was being treated at Kishwaukee Hospital before being transferred to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center in Rockford. Butler has been staying at the house of NIU linebackers coach Tom Matukewicz since being released from Saint Anthony’s.

With NIU head coach Dave Doeren at his side on Friday, Butler discussed the plan that his doctors have laid out for a full recovery. The junior will take his redshirt year in 2011, but hopes to be back at middle linebacker for the Huskies in 2012.

In the meantime, Butler will concentrate on improving the strength of his breathing after the shooting left one of his lungs collapsed. The doctors have prescribed a breathing machine that is designed to expand his injured lung.

“Right now, it’s not too much rehab,” Butler said. “It’s just more basically getting back on my feet, walking around, getting my strength back; doing things like eating and doing a lot of breathing exercises and stuff like that.

“In about six months, I will be able to do things like exercise my legs, and basically start the physical therapy.”

Doeren made it clear that Butler will not be recovering alone. The first-year head coach gave Butler a whistle, which he showed off at the team’s spring game on Saturday, to help his team in any way he can.

The sound of Butler’s whistle will likely be heard at most NIU practices, considering that at no point during his ordeal did football stray from his mind. Even after coming out of surgery in the early morning hours of April 6, his first question had nothing to do with the bullet that was threatening his life.

“You know, even the first day when I got out of surgery, I had some of my teammates there,” Butler said. “And the first thing I found myself asking was ‘how did practice go?’ So, that definitely didn’t take long.”

Doeren smiled more in Friday’s press conference than he had in four months as NIU’s head coach. Emotion could easily be found in the voice of the usually-stern head coach. It begged the question: How could someone become so close with a person they’ve only known for four months?

Without hesitation, Doeren explained why his bond with Butler is so strong.

“I’m a linebacker guy, and he’s a linebacker, so I took an immediate attention to Devon,” Doeren said. “I told him I would be on him because I saw greatness in him since the first day I got here. I know he has a lot of special things ahead of him.”