Alvin Kamara (Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports).
Football is a scary game. As much as we try to sanitize it, injuries will happen. We just don’t always expect that to happen on the sidelines. Alvin Kamara reminds us that there are no safe locations on or near the gridiron. Want other reminders of scary injuries? Catch my other articles here.
The Saints have made a comeback that has alleviated the broken hearts of New Orleans Saints fans. If they lose, it won’t be a blowout, at least. Alvin Kamara feels like he is one of the few players who actually plays for the Saints on any given Sunday, so their failures shouldn’t be assigned to him anyway.
Alvin Kamara Snaps Legs Not Plays
Even if Kamara wasn’t breaking hearts in the Saints game against the Detroit Lions, he was still breaking legs. Snapping the sideline worker’s leg in a Joe Theismann-esque way.
The running back dodged a tackle and then got pushed out of bounds, directly into the leg of an unassuming worker. The individual moves the chains up and down the field—an invaluable position. He, along with Alvin Kamara and all of America, was not expecting what happened next.
After sustaining what looked like a penalty-worthy hit, the sideline worker’s leg pretzelled into an unnatural position that left the man screaming and rolling around in agony. This is pretty much the only response to an incident like this.
The man was seen wearing an air cast on his leg, was loaded onto a stretcher, and was wheeled off to receive medical care. Hopefully, the man makes a quick and full recovery.
The Sidelines Are A Dangerous Place
For Workers
Most notably, Robert Saleh was a sideline casualty when he got sacked by his own player (or was sacked, depending on how you look at it), and now fifty-string QB Zach Wilson.
Last month, DC Wade Phillips got hit by Melvin Gordon and had to exit via stretcher. He didn’t break a leg (as suspected), but he did break a rib. And now Melvin Gordon is a Baltimore Raven. A cautionary note to other players.
Remember when the San Francisco 49ers cooked the Seattle Seahawks for Thanksgiving dinner? As a Hawks fan, I certainly do. The only person who remembers that pain worse than Seattle fans was the cameraman on the Seahawks sideline. He was taken out by the ankles by Eskridge and was immediately swarmed by my people, making sure he was okay. Hopefully, he was!
For Players
Last year, Aaron Patrick of the Denver Broncos sued the NFL, ESPN, the LA Chargers, and others when he sustained an ACL injury on the sidelines. He collided with an NFL TV liaison who was allegedly improperly located and stepped on a mat that was supposed to cover cables for an instant replay monitor.
The mat was described by Patrick’s attorney as “$100 mats that you would expect to see in a restaurant kitchen.” Shade.
Reggie Bush succeeded in a similar lawsuit against St. Louis when he slipped on concrete on the sidelines at Edward Jones Stadium. Bush hurt his knee on the inexplicably located concrete.
A defensive lineman, Nick Bosa, was injured by another player. At the tail end of last season, Bosa had his legs swept out from underneath him by a Philadelphia Eagles player. Nick played through the pain in his right calf.
Stay safe out there, folks. Avoid the sidelines at all costs.
