“If he dies, he dies…”

On the Lowering of the Helmet

I took one step, saw a white light, and that was it. I never played another snap of football again.

The hit was innocuous. You had to squint to see it on film. But by that time, there was already enough accumulated carnage to cause my head to collapse my body onto the seat of a Gatorade cooler. I said a few words to a teammate: I think I got another one. He was…