Jan 19, 2016 Antwaan Randle El says he regrets playing football, in part because the 36-year-old now has difficulty walking down the stairs. "I have to come down sideways sometimes, depending on the day," Randle El said in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette piece on former Steelers Super Bowl winners. "Going up is easier actually than coming down." Randle El was a hybrid player before it was made popular by the Tim Tebows of the world. He was an elite quarterback at Indiana before being drafted as a wide receiver by the Steelers in 2002. He was an All Pro in 2005 and became the only wideout to throw a TD pass in a Super Bowl in 2006. Despite that success, he wishes he wouldn't have chosen football. "If I could go back, I wouldn't," he said to the Post-Gazette. "I would play baseball. I got drafted by the Cubs in the 14th round, but I didn't play baseball because of my parents. They made me go to school. Don't get me wrong, I love the game of football. But right now, I could still be playing baseball." Randle El says he has mental limitations to go with his physical issues. "I ask my wife things over and over again, and she's like, 'I just told you that,'" Randle El said to the newspaper. "I'll ask her three times the night before and get up in the morning and forget. Stuff like that. I try to chalk it up as I'm busy, I'm doing a lot, but I have to be on my knees praying about it, asking God to allow me to not have these issues and live a long life. I want to see my kids raised up. I want to see my grandkids." Since his retirement in 2012, Randle El has started a Christian high school in Virginia. At first the school had football, but funding issues forced them to cut the program. Families complained, and though Randle El understood where they were coming from, ultimately he was glad it worked out the way it did. "The kids are getting bigger and faster, so the concussions, the severe spinal cord injuries, are only going to get worse," he said to the newspaper. "It's a tough pill to swallow because I love the game of football. But I tell parents, you can have the right helmet, the perfect pads on, and still end up with a paraplegic kid. "There's no correcting it. There's no helmet that's going to correct it. There's no teaching that's going to correct it. It just comes down to it's a physically violent game. Football players are in a car wreck every week." http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/1...antwaan-randle-el-wishes-chosen-play-football Remember seeing pictures of this guy all over the walls at Thornton HS (they were in our division) so this sucks to hear. He went on to mention he wouldn't be surprised if football was around in 20-25 years, which doesn't sound as ridiculous as it did 5 years ago.
Jan 19, 2016 The NFL is a $13 billion business. It's not going anywhere. Today's kids can Google the facts about brain trauma in sports. The onus is on them and their parents. It's cigarettes all over again.
Jan 19, 2016 That's f----- man, I don't get people who can still claim that hockey is the rougher impact sport. You guys read this? STUDY: Football Practice Without Helmets Reduces Concussion Risk, Improves Tackling Ability
Jan 19, 2016 Man that's a name I forgot. I've played Football for the last 7 years of my life, 4 years of varsity, I've had five concussions total that were diagnosed and two in one season at one point. It's on you to understand the consequences of playing. The thing with concussions is scary though, you can go on without knowing you have one. I had one for almost 3 weeks before getting checked out and diagnosed, in that time I was having practice every day and three games so this s--- can get dangerous.
Jan 19, 2016 That's the danger in it, especially for young kids playing. I got one in HS in practice and didn't know until a week later. It's part of the culture to just try and tough it out but that s--- is no joke. 5 is a lot man, you plan on playing throughout college? I graduated in 2010 so this wasn't really an issue to us at the time. I've seen this before. The basic thinking behind it is it's forces you to use proper technique since your head is so vulnerable. You ever get a concussion from hockey?
Jan 19, 2016 Nah, I don't even play with a visor, I just know how to protect myself. I just try to keep my head up, play tall, and lead contact with my shoulders. The worst that's happened is my eyelid got split open off an errand elbow to the face, and then another time some dude one hand tomahawked my head with his stick in retaliation to a hit.
Jan 19, 2016 Nah I'm not going to college. I played Linebacker and Tailback all throughout high school so that's how I ended up gaining 5 along with a torn MCL one year. I wouldn't take any of it back though, loved nothing more than to be out on the field playing. I beat the h--- out of my body though lol, I was never really concerned with my own well being as much as I was trying to hit someone as hard as I could every time.
Jan 19, 2016 Lmao savage. I feel like hockey players are more under control because they've gotta stay balanced and what not since their skating. Can't just be launching your body at ppl like you see football players do sometimes. Yeah neither would I. Besides the concussion all I had was a shoulder injury that kept me out of baseball for a year, but I recovered. Nothing beat the feeling of going out there on Friday nights with your boys & beating the s--- out of somebody for 2 hours.
Jan 19, 2016 word the skating isnt a factor as much as the speed of the game is. if you commit to a hit, you take yourself out of the play. a lot of times that can lead to a goal against so you're not making contact every play like in football. but when you do get hit, it can be pretty bad. on skates, players can reach up to 27 mph, so the impact is crazy.
Jan 19, 2016 @Poohdini if you get a minute watch this, you can skip in if you want. when contact happens at high speeds, it's f----- up
Jan 19, 2016 f--- it sucks man, i got a sports hernia when i was 18 and thought i was done hockey for life b you can't understand the sadness of having to hang it up in a sport unless you actually played a sport.
Jan 19, 2016 I remember that, that was f-----. But the s--- like this is what really scares me about football:
Jan 19, 2016 the only football i'll get to play for the next few years is the winter flag football tournament at this sportsplex place near me, started playing in it for something to do a few years ago. just 5 v 5 but it's fun, you play against people of all ages so i'll be holding onto that until im too old to be playing flag football lol.
