IIRC, starting in the 2008 season, the NFL began requiring all rookies to attend a pre-Draft personal-finance seminar to prevent such problems.
As I understand it, while this is true, it doesn’t mean that many rookies still aren’t going through their earnings like water.
Getting back to Hamlin, and today’s news: I’m happy to see that he appears to be completely recovered from his injury. Obviously, we can’t know what’s in his head, if he’s interested in returning to play, or if he’ll be able to compete without being distracted or tentative due to what had happened to him.
I hope he has regained all his strength and can pick up where he left off. But WOW. It just feels like a weight over his head. Was it a freak accident that triggered it or is he susceptible.
A couple of days ago Hamlin did confirm it was a case of commotio cordis. The vast majority of such cases have no underlying cardiac issues. It’s just a freak thing that can happen, mostly to athletes. It’s still extremely rare even among athletes.
Imagine being the first guy on the other team who has to hit Hamlin hard.
Could you imagine if anyone hurt him? Even something like a sprained ankle done inadvertently. Football is a violent sport and stuff happens. People will vilify that guy, even if he did nothing wrong.
I’m not saying Damar shouldn’t play (on the contrary I think it’s awesome if he does), but people love him, and that’s probably going to be a factor.
Seems like a good time to introduce a padded chest shield into the NFL.
Because in the entire history of the NFL there was one freak injury where the person made a complete recovery in a matter of months?
Guess it wasn’t the vaccine then.
That’s what they want you to think.
Yes it’s a freak accident in the NFL but not in sports.
They already have safety requirements for their equipment. Next round they add a bit of padding. It’s not rocket science nor would it add any significant cost to new uniforms.
Would it add weight? Would it restrict mobility? Would it cause discomfort? Would it restrict breathing? Would it even actually prevent that particular injury?
Have you ever seen shoulder pads?
Yes, if you wanted it to.
This surprises me. I thought he would never recover 100%.
Thoughtful of him:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/05/sport/damar-hamlin-cincinnati-scholarships-spt/index.html
That was really nice of him. I saw him at the game against Cincinnati and wondered how he was doing. He’s been cleared to play. He’s been to at least 1 practice and is on the play roster. It sounds like it’s gong to take some time to get back in the game both physically and metaphorically.
He’s played in all preseason games and he was active for one game this season. The truth is he’s a marginal player. He wasn’t a star. He’s 5th in a position that has 4 active players on the roster. He’s on the 53 man roster but only 46 can dress for the game. This is only his 3rdseason so maybe he will continue to improve. Good for him using his new fame to do good things.
Thanks, I didn’t realize he played in preseason games.