In September 2008, the Kansas City Chiefs safety Bernard Pollard smashed helmet-first into the knee of Tom Brady as the New England Patriots quarterback heaved a long pass down the field. The collision, which did not draw a penalty, reduced Brady to a writhing heap and sidelined him for the rest of the season with a torn ACL. But most striking to the reigning league MVP was what came next. “They play the game without you,” he told Sports Illustrated. “You’re like, ‘Wow. That’s really what it’s like.’”
The NFL manages its inherent brutality with constant reassurances that it’s very much on top of the situation – when a man goes down, the medical team descends to whisk him into a tent or the stadium bowels for an X-ray or painkiller jab. The next man steps in. The game goes on.
