Thoughts?
Personally, I think Stewart Scott summed it up best this morning on SportsCenter:
You are not "sentenced" to play football, it is a choice.
I agree wholeheartedly with his assessment. They know the risk when they step on the field, obviously excluding malicious intent from one player to another (which I bet is exceedingly rare).
The hit on DeSean Jackson from Philly? To me, legal hit and a GREAT ONE. From day one, people are taught to put a facemask on the shoulder pads, wrap and drive. In this case, the Jackson was in the air. When you hit someone who is in the air, they are going backwards. When he begins to go backwards, the helmet is going to slide up the pads and contact the other player's helmet.
While the aftermath is extremely unfortunate, he knew the risks when he put his jersey on that day. It's not like a citizen walking down the street and being mugged. There is no realistic assumption that something bad may happen in that situation. Football, pro football specifically, is the exact opposite of that.
The hit on Baltimore's Todd Heap by the Patriots D-back? Totally illegal and completely different from the above mentioned hit, IMO. He obviously launched himself into the head of an opponent as Heap was being tackled by another player. Personally, if he would have kept his feet under him and ran through Heap and the other defender I would have ZERO issue with the hit.
Inevitably, someone will bring up James Harrison and his two massive hits on the Browns yesterday. Again, I see this as a football play and not a malicious attempted to permanently injure someone. Just like Harrison said, "I play to hurt the other guy, not injure them. There is a difference."
Civil discussion please...