His helmet lowered, Rutgers tackle Eric LeGrand suffered the type of catastrophic spinal injury that longtime athletic trainer Charles Thompson is surprised doesn't occur more frequently.
"They think they're invincible in that helmet," said Thompson, head trainer at Princeton University and chair of the National Athletic Trainers' Association's College and University Athletic Trainers' Committee. "They think it's a video game. I guess they feel the need to put their head down and I don't think it's always because they are trying to hurt the other guy."
It was the opposite in LeGrand's case as he was the defender who initiated the contact in a game against Army on Saturday. The immediate diagnosis was that LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano had no updates on his fallen player's condition when he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.
The NCAA, like the NFL, has continued to adjust its rules over the years after similar tragedies combined with the recent revelations of the debilitating, long-lasting effects of concussions. Thompson admits there's no simple answer and it's impossible to eliminate all serious injuries from football, but he offered up one solution: more yellow flags.
"One big problem is that (illegal hits) aren't called enough," Thompson said. "The rules for spearing are there. It's written down and it's very, very clear." Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
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