Eric LeGrand of Rutgers faces a struggle similar to many football players before him

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Eric LeGrand.

If you haven't yet heard his name, take a moment to keep a good thought for him.

He is a defensive tackle on the Rutgers University football team. A big kid, 6-2, 275.

The young man, a junior from from Avenel, N.J., took a hit in Saturday's game against Army and suffered a catastrophic injury. He's currently paralyzed from the neck down.

Brad Wilson of the Express-Times took a look at the violence in football in a column in today's newspaper, mostly reacting to a vicious hit Sunday leveled upon DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles. Jackson is not hurt nearly as badly as LeGrand. In that sense, Jackson is lucky, but his concussion was described as "severe."

Steve Politi of the Star-Ledger has a heart-wrenching piece on nj.com, focusing mostly on LeGrand's high school coach, Ben LaSala. A coach for more than 30 years, LaSala is doing a lot of soul-searching, wondering how he can continue to coach when such outcomes are possible. He is very close to LeGrand. LaSala's son is the injured player's best friend.

Any of us who have played football (I was 13 and played for one year; hardly a career) or had offspring play the game or just watched a game with interest, know the horribly violent nature of it.

Adam Taliaferro has been recalled a lot in the couple of days since LaSala's injury. Taliaferro is the Penn State football player who defied odds after a hit that doctors said left him with just a 3 percent chance of walking again. He's an inspiration to many.


View full sizeEric LeGrand
Someone today recollected Kurt Socha. The Blairstown resident and Blair Academy football player wasn't as fortunate in a game in 2005. Socha was involved in a collision during a game against the Hill School. He died a couple of weeks later, never regaining consciousness.

I found a clipping today from The Express-Times, describing Socha's funeral service.

Speaking at the nearly two-hour-long service, Socha's aunt said she blamed football for her nephew's injury, and so she hated the sport - until she considered how much he had loved it.

"You were doing what you loved on that fateful day," Marie Higney said, her voice shaking with emotion. "(Football) will always make me think of you, No. 50, and how much you've inspired so many people and touched us all in ways that words cannot express."

A lot of discussion on the topic of violence in sports will be reignited this week in the wake of traumatic hits this weekend.

It's a good time to remember Kurt Socha. And say a prayer for Eric LeGrand.

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