Seeing medical personnel administer CPR to resuscitate Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin during Monday Night Football this week was a reminder to players across the league that football is a violent, dangerous sport.
“I think the danger of the game is real,” Denver Broncos interim coach Jerry Rosburg said Wednesday. “We have a lot of guys injured this year. We have a lot of guys on [injured reserve]. That is a risk that those who are participating in the game are aware of. They are here and they are willing to take that risk.
“They find enough value in the game itself to take that risk and walk out there. Along with that, the National Football League in general and the players specifically — and the players association, I would add — has made good strides in making sure this game is as safe as it possibly can be without damaging the nature of the game.”
NFL players know an injury can happen on any play, but Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson admitted that most players don’t think a serious injury will happen to them.
“To see that hit the other night and just to see him drop to the ground — it was devastating to watch because that could be any of us,” Wilson said. “I know we’ve played this game since we were young, and we’ve played a lot of college ball and high school ball. Fans watch us every week and cheer us on. They have their fantasy football. Us as players, we watch every week and every game as much as we can. We watch film. You never really think about it or never really imagine one hit can possibly take your life away. Watching the guys on the field and how they all got together in tears and praying. It shows you No. 1 that we can’t take this life for granted and this game for granted and these moments.”
Despite the risks, players choose to play the game.
“We know what we sign up for,” safety Justin Simmons said. “We are putting our bodies in harm’s way. You see guys with ACLs or certain things like that and they miss the season. Those types of things hurt. On a magnitude of this level, it just was different. I can remember watching the ‘AB’ [Antonio Brown] incident. He’s laying lifeless on the field. The Ryan Shazier incident. To see what happened live — I can only imagine the number of people tuning in to watch that game live. You never want to see that. My heart hurts for the Hamlin family and for everyone involved. It’s truly tragic. Unbelievable.”
Players, teams and fans are concerned first and foremost for Hamlin, who has made positive steps in his recovery. The scary situation has impacted others, too, including some Broncos players.
Rosburg said the team told players “if they needed counseling, if they needed help, if they needed spiritual guidance, or if they needed anyone in the building, we were there for them.”
It will be hard for the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals to turn around and play again on Sunday — and it will be hard for players across the league.
“[W]e all know what we put our bodies through and what we put our mental through,” Simmons said. “For me getting ready for Sunday, I think it’s continuing to be open and honest. Sometimes it’s okay not to be okay. Seeing that, in that moment, made me not okay. We have to continually have that open conversation.”
Broncos players are choosing to continue playing on, but some — like defensive lineman DeShawn Williams — won’t have their children play the sport.
“I’ll tell ya what, my son’s not playing football,’’ Williams told KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. “I’ll tell ya that. I’m going to do what I’ve got to do to make as much money as I can so I can take care of him. But my son is not playing football.’’
The players know the risks associated with the game. For players in Denver, they deem the reward worth the risk — for now.
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