What player in the NFL, past or present, would you have wanted to see succeed so badly but due to injuries, off the field issues, or whatever happened just derailed their career? For me it was unfortunate to see players like Josh Gordon or Justin Blackmon have their careers end or never getting back on track because of off-field issues.
Safety Nick Collins, neck injury ended his career. Was a 3x all pro.
Sean Taylor, my favorite safety ever. Killed by pieces of shit in his home.
Got on here to say Sean Taylor myself
Collins still gives me nightmares.
The Collins injury was weird. It didn’t even look that bad when it happened. His helmet hit Jonathan Stewart’s ass and that was it
The injury revealed that he had a particular condition that made him more susceptible to neck injuries, so the doctors wouldn’t clear him to keep playing because a similarly innocuous hit could paralyze him. If memory serves, it’s the same reason Sterling Sharpe retired, plus another promising young WR named Terrence Murphy for the Packers. (That one was again the Panthers too, coincidentally.)
I still watch his highlight reel from time to time.
Guy was blazing fast and an absolute ball hawk.
Sean Taylor was also the player I immediately thought of. I believe Joe Gibbs stated that he was the greatest athlete he’s ever coached?
Joe Gibbs won 3 SBs with 3 different QBs- he had some athletes
The worst thing about Sean Taylor was the narrative after he died. So many people in the DMV somehow blamed him for it. I literally heard people saying “well of course he ended up like that, you know the sort of person he was.” He was killed in a home invasion by someone he didn’t even know…