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Forget about records, standings, and statistics for a minute.
We've seen the careers and possibly the lives of 3 NFL athletes in their prime ruined this season.
Michael Vick was not a great QB but he was a great athlete. Because of his own stupidity, he is now going to spend the next few years behind bars. There is a chance he could make a comeback, but not much of one. The guy was struggling to learn the QB position when he was practicing and he sure as hell isn't going to learn it in a 6' by 12' cell. His is perhaps the worst because it was the only one directly attributed to his own actions.
Next, of course, was Kevin Everrett. The guy was finally showing some promise after two years in the league, and in a split second his career is over and his life is changed forever. The good news for Everrett is that the Bills medical staff pretty much wrote the book on how to handle that type of tragedy, and while he still has a long and difficult recovery ahead of him, it looks like he'll be able to live a relatively "normal" life off the football field.
And now we have Sean Taylor. Let's not allow our emotions to let us revise history. Taylor was a troublemaker and lived a lifestyle that greatly increases the risk of encountering this type of violence. However, there is no proof yet and nothing he could have done gave anyone else the right to break into his house and shoot him. Mindless, horrific violence ended a promising football career and his life.
IMO, Vick is the worst of the bunch because his fall from grace is directly attributable to his own actions. Everrett and Taylor met with unfortunate tragedy. One could make the argument that Taylor was responsible for what happened to him to some degree, but it's an extremely weak argument because nothing excuses what was done to him (and there's no proof at this point to suggest it was retribution).
Regardless, the end result is the same- three football careers are ruined, one life is ended and two more are changed forever.
What an awful season.
We've seen the careers and possibly the lives of 3 NFL athletes in their prime ruined this season.
Michael Vick was not a great QB but he was a great athlete. Because of his own stupidity, he is now going to spend the next few years behind bars. There is a chance he could make a comeback, but not much of one. The guy was struggling to learn the QB position when he was practicing and he sure as hell isn't going to learn it in a 6' by 12' cell. His is perhaps the worst because it was the only one directly attributed to his own actions.
Next, of course, was Kevin Everrett. The guy was finally showing some promise after two years in the league, and in a split second his career is over and his life is changed forever. The good news for Everrett is that the Bills medical staff pretty much wrote the book on how to handle that type of tragedy, and while he still has a long and difficult recovery ahead of him, it looks like he'll be able to live a relatively "normal" life off the football field.
And now we have Sean Taylor. Let's not allow our emotions to let us revise history. Taylor was a troublemaker and lived a lifestyle that greatly increases the risk of encountering this type of violence. However, there is no proof yet and nothing he could have done gave anyone else the right to break into his house and shoot him. Mindless, horrific violence ended a promising football career and his life.
IMO, Vick is the worst of the bunch because his fall from grace is directly attributable to his own actions. Everrett and Taylor met with unfortunate tragedy. One could make the argument that Taylor was responsible for what happened to him to some degree, but it's an extremely weak argument because nothing excuses what was done to him (and there's no proof at this point to suggest it was retribution).
Regardless, the end result is the same- three football careers are ruined, one life is ended and two more are changed forever.
What an awful season.
Very well said.
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