The day the NFL stood still

   The author, Rico Eagles 1973    

I lie on the field as people gather around me. It’s raining. The school principal steps on my hand as he tries to hold an umbrella over me. I just went helmet to helmet with a player from my own team trying to tackle a speedy running back. The nimble athlete eluded our strike, and I am on my back, instructed not to move. An ambulance had been called.

It was the fourth of quarter of a losing effort against our arch-rivals, Northwest Christian Academy. The coaches agreed not to continue the game. I had always thought it was because of the emotion surrounding my possible paralysis but now I realize that the game delay had been long, it was getting dark, it was raining, and the score was lop-sided. Football games are not stopped for injuries.

On the other hand, the NFL stood still on Monday, January 2nd, 2023, when Buffalo Bill’s Damar Hamlin’s heart stopped following a hard hit. He received CPR and defibrillation on the field and was rushed to the hospital. The game was canceled. This is a first in NFL. Football games are not stopped for injuries.

On five previous occasions in the NFL, paralyzed players were carried off the field and play continued. When Chuck Hughes died from a heart attack in the fourth quarter of a 1971 game between Detroit and Chicago, the teams returned to finish the game. Football games are not stopped for injuries.

This Monday Night Football Game was cancelled. There was a lot of confusion on the field. The announcers and referees understood the protocol: Football games are not stopped for injuries. The NFL officially said that there was never any intent to continue the game. Really?

The NFL decided to take the high ground. It’s about players’ safety and not about money. Yet, this is the same group that had denied the link between concussions and the long-term effect of brain injuries. Even after settling a class-action lawsuit, they denied culpability.

Fans said it’s only a game and supported the cancellation of this contest with important playoff implications. The following Sunday there was overwhelming support and well-wishes for Damar Hamlin. As he watched football from his hospital bed, football stadiums across America were filled with people honoring him by wearing his number.

Upon regaining consciousness in his hospital bed, Hamlin asked. “Who won?”

Overwhelmingly, NFL players who were paralyzed by game injuries expressed their continued love for the game. It’s much more than a game. It is a blood sport where injuries are expected at every game. Every player has a backup and as soon as the back up quarterback enters a game, the announcers let us know who is next on the list.

The NFL works to make the game safer, but it will never be safe. That seems to be the way we like it. The Superbowl is among the most watched television events in America. In 2022 a 30-second Superbowl ad cost $6.5 million. It’s much more than a game. It is a cash cow.

During a spring football rally at my high school, following my injury, I was in the crowd cheering as the football team was introduced. Two younger players pulled me out of the crowd and the quarterback presented me with a new jersey bearing my number. My old one had been cut off from me. I put it on and stood with the team.

I decided to play my senior year. I did not need a lot of encouragement. I loved the game, and the social position it granted me in school. It’s much more than a game. It is an obsession.