DeAndre Levy

Special to the Free Press

EDITOR'S NOTE: Each Sunday during the season, Detroit Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy will express his thoughts in the Free Press about football and life.

Last weekend, I was reminded of how brutal football is. I’m also very aware that injuries are a part of our sport, and unavoidable if you play long enough.

Around the league and on our team especially, many guys left the games without returning due to injury. From a distance it’s easy to be apathetic towards the millionaires that are paid to play football, but from a much closer view, it hurts more when you know these players as people and understand that we live with these injuries when the shoulder pads aren’t on and when no one is around to ask if you’re okay.

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For me that’s the toughest part. I see the work guys put in and I know personally the amount of time and energy necessary to prepare for a football season. The hours in the weight room, the sprints, soft tissue work, cold tubs, acupuncture, and the rigors of sticking to a strict schedule to be prepared, only to be sidelined by one of the realities of football. An injury comes along and sidetracks all the time one has put in. No matter how big or small, injuries are frustrating as hell and a part of our “normal” as football players.

The frustration is exacerbated when it’s coupled with their potential effects on a player’s livelihood, emotions, and esteem. When the shoulder pads and helmets come off, when there’s no film to watch, when you’re not in the weight room and training room, the injuries are there and a part of your life. Hell, I’m 20 minutes into an ice bath while writing this. Normal life functions — like getting in and out of the car, standing up from a toilet, putting a shirt on, walking your dog, and the ability to properly make love to your partner — all become challenges.

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It hurts to see your teammates go down for any amount of time. It hurts to be down. And all the ensuing questions from media, concerned fans, and anyone else of “How long will you be out?” and “How do you think your injury affects the team?” — and the worst, “What does this mean for your career?” — are hard to even process when you’re just focused on trying to get healthy and soothe your own internal challenges of recovery. I feel the pain and frustration of my teammates when they go down because I know what they put in. Any time lost is time we can’t get back. It’s especially true considering how short of a career-span you have as a player. Every game and every season is critical.

As fans focused on wanting the team to win, I understand how it may be challenging to fully understand what an injury means to a player. There are the mental aspects that accompany injury, rehab, being patient with your body to heal; the guilt of missing time; the feeling of letting teammates and fans down; the internal questions of opportunities missed and if you’ll ever really bounce back; and a slew of other things that a player has on their mind that will never be reflected in the injury report.

Before being a NFL player, we're people. People that have invested countless hours into this sport. And no matter how long or short we're down because of injury it hurts.

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