Consider this

[Brad]

I avoided relaying this earlier because, for personal reasons, it didn't seem like the right time.

 

My son played QB Friday night for his varsity high school football team.  He is a 15 year old sophomore, having celebrated his 15th birthday, less than 10 days ago.  He really should be a freshman, he's quite young.  

 

He practiced with the team all summer, giving up many things other kids his age did not have to give up.  He made a commitment to his team mates and never wavered.  He earned the starting QB spot despite his youth and smaller frame.  He's always been a basketball player.  He's never played a full season of football, but has good smarts and a great arm compared to a number of H.S. QBs.

 

His team scored on their first possession and went up 7-0.  The opponent proceeded to run up 20 unanswered points.  I imagine some other parents and fans began to grow uneasy with the new QB.  In fact, I began to feel like he wasn't going to be able to will them to win.  He hadn't made more than one noticeable mistake (he didn't see a receiver open, scrambled and then took a sack) but he couldn't get the team going either.

 

With about 8 minutes to go, he ran right on a naked bootleg.  He juked two defenders and got past the line.  He thought he saw daylight and courageously went forward.  He was thrown to the turf his head colliding with a knee or two of oncoming defenders.

 

He laid motionless.  I waited from the stands for him to get up.  He did not respond to his team mates.  He never rolled over.  He was face down, arms at his side on the ground, motionless. 

 

I got to the field.  He was unconscious but breathing faintly while receiving emergency medical treatment.  He was out another 3-5 minutes while I was down there and they were working on him.  I held his hand and talked to him, hoping he would respond while the paramedics were talking to the hospital 50 miles away in Phoenix and providing vitals - including no reflexive response to stimuli.  There was no response from him.

 

He laid there on a board immobilized with a neck brace, strapped to a board.  He had an IV, and other devices attached.  No movement and shallow breathing.  His mom and brother came down; I could see the fear in their faces.  It's something else as a parent to be holding the hand of your unconscious child.

 

He finally came to, but knew little about what was going on.  He couldn't control his breathing and had to vomit.  They said he needed to get to a hospital and a chopper was on its way.  I stayed with him the entire time as vitals were read and paramedics asked him to move.  He couldn't seem to move his extremities at first.  I thought I saw movement, but maybe that was wishful thinking.  Later, he moved more.  He was questioned about where he was and what he was doing, his answers were wrong.  

 

They would ask him routinely about the pain in his head, neck and back.  He first rated head a 9, neck a 7 and back a 7 (out of ten).  With each round of questioning and asking him to move his arms and legs, it appeared more (hopefully) that it was just a bad concussion.  Never had I been so happy to see fingers and toes finally move...  He began to assign lower numbers to the pain in his back.

 

He called his center over and told him to "never back down" and to win.  The paramedic asked what team they were playing and he said Tempe - it wasn't. He asked my son if he knew the score, he didn't.  He asked if he remembers what happened, he didn't.  But he wanted to win.  

 

They loaded him on the helicopter.  My wife, other son and I jumped in the car and raced to meet him in the ER anxiously awaiting his condition.  Talk about a difficult 45-50 minute drive back to Phoenix.

 

He was released Saturday, suffering only a severe concussion that has ended his season and perhaps more.  Thankfully, the tests came back pretty good and he suffered no neck or back injury.   There was no bleeding in the brain.  He is shut down, and yes, his team lost the game.

 

I felt compelled to relay this much of the story so those that truly feel like the worst thing that can happen in a game is their team loses.  If you sat their with your son on a board, you might have a different perspective.  These guys go out there to win and they risk a lot - after they have invested a lot.

 

He is devastated that he will not play again this season and is looking at no more football ever.  His upcoming basketball season is currently jeopardized unless he can pass the tests.

 

I guess when you realize there is much more to it than a fan's satisfaction, one might tend to react differently.  

 

Those USF players have parents too.  And as we have seen over the years, all are at risk to a career-ending or debilitating injury.

 

Let's stop pretending they are video game characters serving at our pleasure.

[GaUSFBull]

Wow. Glad to hear your son is ok. Thanks for putting this in perspective, Brad, and may God be with your family, especially your son, as he recovers.

[Bullrush33]

Thank you for sharing such a personal story. Sometimes we distance ourselves from player and human but they need our support.  

[Bulls1181]

Wow......praying for your family!

[CanesFan77]

man, that sounds like the Apopka situation on ESPN last week. Glad to read that your son is going to be ok.

[Sipher]

Your son and family will be in my family's and my own prayers.. Glad to hear it wasn't more than a severe concussion (sounds odd typing that, but it sounds like it could have been much more serious), and I hope he gets better for basketball season. I can relate, basketball was my sport as well.

[NCBull]

Praying for your son and your whole family.

[SANJAY]

Praying for your family.

[206BULL]

Wow glad he's going to be ok. I've been a part of games on 2 separate occasions where a kid was paralyzed. Glad you and your family won't have to go through that.

[TallyBull]

Thanks for reminding us what really matters. God bless you and your family... very happy that your son will likely make a full recovery.