Occasionally I feel guilty about my love of football, because I know that these men are being put at risk of permanent damage every time they suit up. I’ve seen a man break his back mere yards in front of me (Adam Taliaferro–I cried like a baby when he walked onto the field years later, and I’m not even a Penn State fan). And yet, here I am watching Michigan playing Air Force.
I hope the money the NFL recently donated to medical research can also do something to help design safer equipment, so nothing like this will happen again. College kids shouldn’t have to nearly die just so I can have a few hours of fun on fall weekends.
I hope that Devon Walker’s injury is not as catastrophic as it seems, and that he can recover some semblance of life as he knew it before. But mainly, I just hope he lives. And that’s terribly sad.
Well, you certainly know little if anything about football.
Walk is a senior, so taking it as a given that he’s played four years of college football and 4 years of high school football, plus let’s say 2 years of pee wee football and given the admittedly not entire scientific estimates about this sort of thing prior to today’s incident, conservatively he’s suffered at least 400 concussions, so to wish that there isn’t any permanent damage to the young man is laughable.
Of course the dude’s been irrevocably damaged, but that train left the station years ago.
One of my good friends at work has a son who is the starting quarterback for his high school team. He also plays safety. He’s a natural and gifted athlete, and has never been injured, but I don’t think I could stand watching my own child play. I really struggle with guilt over watching other people’s children. Sometimes I feel like they’re not much better than gladiators.
No update so far on Devon Walker’s injury. I hope he comes through okay, and can walk. I haven’t heard or read - what’s his prognosis? Or is it too early to tell still?