Football, and more specifically the NFL, is one of the most popular sports in the United States. With millions of fans packing the stadiums on any given Sunday, the sport draws millions of fans and thousands of hopeful prospects.
However, although football and the NFL are some of the most popular sports in the United States, the risk of both minor and serious injury are ever-present in the game. From ACL tears, to broken bones, to concussions and head injuries, NFL and football players place themselves in harms way each and every game.
And while many of the injuries suffered by both NFL and football players are minor, some players do suffer serious injuries. Below, we are going to review the list of NFL players who were paralyzed while playing the game.
The hit left Eric on the ground, requiring him to be carted off the field, unable to breathe or move his head. He attempted to force a thumbs up to the crowd but was unable to do so, stating, “it felt like a thousand pound cinder block was holding me down.
Eric was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey, where doctors determined that he was paralyzed from the neck down. On the play, he had fractured his C3 and C4 cervical vertebrae.
Selected by the Detroit Lions in the first round, and with the 17th pick, he would record 2.5 sacks in his second season along with two interceptions, both of which went for touchdown returns. However, in his final game, Brown suffered a spinal cord contusion while assisting on a tackle against a New York Jets player.
Also seeHow many NFL Players have killed themselves due to CTE