Is a long term football career worth the risks?

Former+NFL+Wide+Receiver+Antwaan+Randle+El+recently+admitted+to+%0Aregretting+playing+the+game+of+football+due+to+physical+and+mental+problems

Former NFL Wide Receiver Antwaan Randle El recently admitted to regretting playing the game of football due to physical and mental problems

Jemaal Myrick, Cal Times Contributor

Far too often we ask questions that bewilder or complicate facts. Why stop now? Why? Many conclude that humanities questioning of a variety of topics is a simple result of human nature. My opinion. Simple tomfoolery. As a community of networking individuals we must learn to observe and properly develop our thoughts before questioning.

Why is Calvin Johnson leaving the game when the half just started? Is it his knees, his back, or his head? Answer: none of the above. But, it will be if he continues to play football. Example. You work in a Steel Mill (go Steelers) day in and day out for hours upon hours. Finally, you receive your pay. Years of dealing with continuous stressors will cause the human body to slowly shut down.

Former Steelers Wide Receiver Antwaan Randle El has trouble walking down stairs and is suffering from short-term memory loss. Most remember him for his epic pass to Hines Ward against the Seattle Seahawks in the Super Bowl XL. Ten years after that pass, he knows his body is failing him. If he could go back he would.

The game is evolving and players are getting stronger and faster. Nobody wants to risk getting an injury, but this isn’t just his story. Many former NFL greats and hopefuls share this same tragic demise. Sooner or later you get hit. Next thing you know you’re paralyzed. That may be a bit exaggerated, but you get the point.

Personally I love the sport of football. My career was cut short due to…(guess)… an injury. Maybe football didn’t cause my injury, but years of stressful work played a role. Sure I could go back, but is it worth it? I had dreams, every player does. We imagine life after the game. When the scoreboard finally strikes zero.

Calvin Johnson has done so much for the sport of football. From giving fans hope in late game situations to breaking Jerry Rice’s record for receiving yards in a season.

Calvin Johnson is undeniably one of the greatest players to walk onto a football field. The condition he chooses to leave in (Good health) doesn’t make him any less great. He chose his health over a chance to gain immortality playing on the game’s biggest stage; nobody is guaranteed a Super Bowl and certainly not the Detroit Lions, a team in which Johnson spent his entire career with.

Chances of winning a championship are very slim, especially in the NFL. Johnson realizes that. So like many other players before him, he asks himself a simple question. Maybe we should all stop asking why and ask ourselves the same question Johnson along with many others have asked themselves. Is it worth it?