Max
12-20-2002, 01:23 PM
Scary injuries force players to face fears
Incidents involving Pittsburgh's Maddox and Bucs' Lynch remind players it's a dangerous game.
By DARRELL FRY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 19, 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the time, all Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox could think about were his children, Kacy and Colby. As he lay there virtually motionless on the field in Tennessee, temporarily paralyzed that unforgettable afternoon a month ago against the Titans, thoughts of his 9-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son ran through his head.
"It's a scary feeling to know that you might not be able to pick up your kids and play with them and enjoy all the things you've been enjoying," Maddox said Wednesday. "It's funny how sometimes we take for granted the things that we have, and when something like that happens, all we want are the things we already have."
Although Maddox recovered remarkably fast, the incident was another not-so-subtle reminder of the inherent dangers of football, dangers that hit even closer to home Dec. 8 when Bucs safety John Lynch injured his neck against the Falcons.
After missing one game, Lynch is expected to return against the Steelers on Monday night. Maddox will be making his third start since his injury.
Both say the nightmarish experiences are behind them, but they concede that they perhaps never will be forgotten. Not by them or the rest of the league.
"The thing is, when the gurney comes out, the EMS truck comes out, it's a scary, scary feeling; a scary thought," Steelers receiver Terance Mathis said after Maddox's injury, and he said it brought back memories of his days with the Jets when teammate Dennis Byrd was temporarily paralyzed in a 1992 game. "What we do for a living, the way we get hit, it could happen to me.
"It doesn't take a devastating blow. The right time, the right spot, it could happen to anybody."
Permanent injuries still are relatively rare; Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley was paralyzed in 1978 and Lions lineman Mike Utley in 1991. More common are cases of temporary paralysis and numbness, which have touched scores of players, including Byrd, tight end Stephen Alexander and former Packers star Sterling Sharpe.
Each incident, though, instantly raises fears again. In a sport players rarely reveal their frailties, it's the one injury that stokes everyone's emotions.
"When you see a guy like John Lynch lying on the ground and grabbing his hands and things like that, it scares you, man," Bucs cornerback Dwight Smith said. "We all know the nature of this business; we all know that one hit can either paralyze you or end your life, so anything like that scares you or shakes you.
"It's the same thing with Tommy Maddox. You see a play like that where there's very little contact and the guy is lying there stiff. ... I mean, it scares you. All you can do is just pray and try to use the right technique so you won't get your head in there and things like that. But when I saw Lynch like that, it scared me."
After a tackle that forced his head to hit the ground, Maddox was semiconscious and paralyzed for about 45 minutes.
He was hospitalized overnight with cerebral and spinal cord concussions.
Doctors who treated him said it was practically a miracle that he escaped with no permanent damage and was able to return to the team within two days.
He has played well since and reported no physical problems. Still, he admitted it took a while for his fears to fade.
"Against the Texans (his first game back), I went into the game thinking it wasn't going to bother me, but it probably did a little bit. Human nature takes over and it probably did bother me," Maddox said. "But as you continue to play and continue to get hit, you really don't think about it a whole lot. I didn't think about it once this past weekend (against the Panthers)."
Lynch, injured while making a tackle, initially reported numbness and stiffness in his fingers and feet, but the symptoms quickly subsided and he has been medically cleared to resume playing.
He said the scare he got won't affect his play Monday night. At least, he hopes it won't.
"I don't feel like that's going to be an issue, but that remains to be seen," he said.
This much seems certain: Lynch and Maddox likely won't be the last with injuries. They are an unavoidable aspect of the game that leaves everyone involved a changed person in some way or another.
"It puts so much in perspective," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "You see so many examples, even in high school. There was a kid in Texas just the other day.
"It's very humbling, and I think it puts a lot of things in perspective and it makes you feel how blessed you are to play this sport.
"But, at the same time, it makes you realize it still is a contact sport and, any time you have the contact that we have, that there's a tremendous amount of risk that's involved with that."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Home
Incidents involving Pittsburgh's Maddox and Bucs' Lynch remind players it's a dangerous game.
By DARRELL FRY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 19, 2002
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
At the time, all Steelers quarterback Tommy Maddox could think about were his children, Kacy and Colby. As he lay there virtually motionless on the field in Tennessee, temporarily paralyzed that unforgettable afternoon a month ago against the Titans, thoughts of his 9-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son ran through his head.
"It's a scary feeling to know that you might not be able to pick up your kids and play with them and enjoy all the things you've been enjoying," Maddox said Wednesday. "It's funny how sometimes we take for granted the things that we have, and when something like that happens, all we want are the things we already have."
Although Maddox recovered remarkably fast, the incident was another not-so-subtle reminder of the inherent dangers of football, dangers that hit even closer to home Dec. 8 when Bucs safety John Lynch injured his neck against the Falcons.
After missing one game, Lynch is expected to return against the Steelers on Monday night. Maddox will be making his third start since his injury.
Both say the nightmarish experiences are behind them, but they concede that they perhaps never will be forgotten. Not by them or the rest of the league.
"The thing is, when the gurney comes out, the EMS truck comes out, it's a scary, scary feeling; a scary thought," Steelers receiver Terance Mathis said after Maddox's injury, and he said it brought back memories of his days with the Jets when teammate Dennis Byrd was temporarily paralyzed in a 1992 game. "What we do for a living, the way we get hit, it could happen to me.
"It doesn't take a devastating blow. The right time, the right spot, it could happen to anybody."
Permanent injuries still are relatively rare; Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley was paralyzed in 1978 and Lions lineman Mike Utley in 1991. More common are cases of temporary paralysis and numbness, which have touched scores of players, including Byrd, tight end Stephen Alexander and former Packers star Sterling Sharpe.
Each incident, though, instantly raises fears again. In a sport players rarely reveal their frailties, it's the one injury that stokes everyone's emotions.
"When you see a guy like John Lynch lying on the ground and grabbing his hands and things like that, it scares you, man," Bucs cornerback Dwight Smith said. "We all know the nature of this business; we all know that one hit can either paralyze you or end your life, so anything like that scares you or shakes you.
"It's the same thing with Tommy Maddox. You see a play like that where there's very little contact and the guy is lying there stiff. ... I mean, it scares you. All you can do is just pray and try to use the right technique so you won't get your head in there and things like that. But when I saw Lynch like that, it scared me."
After a tackle that forced his head to hit the ground, Maddox was semiconscious and paralyzed for about 45 minutes.
He was hospitalized overnight with cerebral and spinal cord concussions.
Doctors who treated him said it was practically a miracle that he escaped with no permanent damage and was able to return to the team within two days.
He has played well since and reported no physical problems. Still, he admitted it took a while for his fears to fade.
"Against the Texans (his first game back), I went into the game thinking it wasn't going to bother me, but it probably did a little bit. Human nature takes over and it probably did bother me," Maddox said. "But as you continue to play and continue to get hit, you really don't think about it a whole lot. I didn't think about it once this past weekend (against the Panthers)."
Lynch, injured while making a tackle, initially reported numbness and stiffness in his fingers and feet, but the symptoms quickly subsided and he has been medically cleared to resume playing.
He said the scare he got won't affect his play Monday night. At least, he hopes it won't.
"I don't feel like that's going to be an issue, but that remains to be seen," he said.
This much seems certain: Lynch and Maddox likely won't be the last with injuries. They are an unavoidable aspect of the game that leaves everyone involved a changed person in some way or another.
"It puts so much in perspective," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "You see so many examples, even in high school. There was a kid in Texas just the other day.
"It's very humbling, and I think it puts a lot of things in perspective and it makes you feel how blessed you are to play this sport.
"But, at the same time, it makes you realize it still is a contact sport and, any time you have the contact that we have, that there's a tremendous amount of risk that's involved with that."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Home