Why I never played American Football

What many don't know about me is that I really enjoy the game of football. On television, there is no better sport.

I actually considered playing football in high school but decided against it for these reasons:

1) I would never love the game the way I loved basketball
2) An injury would hurt my scholarship chances for basketball
3) I didn't want an injury that made me permanently disabled

Injuries like the one to Kevin Everett (see NY Times article below) reminds everyone of the serious danger with football. One moment a young man is healthy, the next his life is forever difficult.

If your kids want to play football, make sure that they have the LOVE and DESIRE for the game. If not, it may not be worth it.

Gswede
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September 11, 2007

Chance of Recovery for Bills’ Everett Is ‘Bleak’

By MATT HIGGINS
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y., Sept. 10 — Kevin Everett’s Buffalo Bills teammates are accustomed to his silence. On Monday, they described Everett, a third-year tight end, as quiet. So they would have gladly settled for a simple gesture, like a thumb’s up, as he was carted off the field with a spinal cord injury Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Buffalo quarterback J. P. Losman said he thought, “Show me a sign of something,” as Everett was loaded into an ambulance.

“Something” never came. And that turned out to be a grim sign.

On Monday, team doctors said Everett was paralyzed from the shoulders down and his condition was potentially fatal after he was injured while covering the second-half kickoff in the Bills’ 15-14 loss to Denver.

Click on the following link below to read entire article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/sports/football/11everett.html?_r=1&ref=sports&oref=slogin