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The big hit. There's nothing quite like it in football. 

Fans cheer it. Players revel in it. The NFL and the media market it. 

Rather its a receiver getting decleated while going over the middle or an unsuspecting defender sent flying by a hellacious block, a large hit has the potential to change a game or if nothing else, provide hours of entertainment for fans on YouTube.

There's no question football has become America's new national pastime (sorry baseball) in large part to its violence. Either at the stadium or on television, fans love watching 22 armored warriors lace it up and go to battle. The bigger the hit, the louder the cheer. 

We can cheer those massive hits because usually, the players bounce right back up, seemingly unharmed.  

But recently, we've been made aware of just how dangerous those hits can be. 

Last Saturday, Rutgers defensive tackle Eric LeGrand made what has been described as a vicious tackle on a kickoff return during his team's game against Army. The 6'2", 275 pound LeGrand immediately crumpled to the ground and now lies in a Hackensack, New Jersey hospital paralyzed from the neck down after injuring the C-3 and C-4 vertebrae in his neck.


A day later, Detroit Lions linebacker Zach Follett, who earned the nickname "Pain Train" because of the hard hits he dished out while playing at Cal, ended up in the same hospital as LeGrand after finding himself on the wrong end of a scary helmet to helmet tackle on a kickoff return in an NFL game against the New York Giants. Though motionless after the play, Follett would be released from the hospital without any spinal damage. 


Unfortunately, Follett wasn't the only NFL player injured on a helmet to helmet hit on Sunday. 


Philadelphia Eagle receiver DeSean Jackson suffered a severe concussion after being leveled by Atlanta Falcons corner Dunta Robinson. Robinson himself was knocked out of the game on the hit.



Baltimore Ravens tight end Todd Heap also suffered a concussion after being hammered by New England Patriot safety Brandon Meriweather hard enough that his mouthpiece flew across the field. 


In the Pittsburgh-Cleveland game, Steelers linebacker James Harrison made headlines after knocking out Browns receivers Josh Cribbs and Mohamed Massaquoi of the game. 

The helmet to helmet hits has led to swift action by the NFL. Already dogged by concerns over concussions, the league fined Robinson, Harrison, and Meriweather a combined $175,000 for their hits and vowed to start suspending players for leading with their head.

The injury to LeGrand and Sunday's carnage has intensified debate over injuries and football. Many players and fans alike feel that the rules have already been altered enough and that  the game is slowly turning into flag football. 


However, it's clear that the NFL, NCAA, and even local high school federations must act now to protect players. Football has always been a dangerous game where names such as Mike Utley, Darryl Stingley, Chucky Mullins , and Curtis Williams conjure up memories of past tragedies. However, today's game has become more dangerous as players have gotten bigger AND faster. A 230-pound player in the 1940s would have been a dominant offensive lineman and the biggest player on the field. Today, a 230-pound player often is a defensive back that can run a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. Today's collisions simply do more damage than the tackles of yesteryear. 

There's no coincidence that that every week, there is more and more research proving that football can cause permanent brain damage, even in players who did not have long careers. Players who played in the '60s, '70s, '80s and '90s already suffer from a variety of physical aliments, including brain damage, linked to injuries they suffered during their careers. Can you imagine how the players of today will turn out in 10, 20, 30 years?


Even when acknowledging that their sport is getting tougher and tougher to play, the NFL wants to move to an 18 game season. Meanwhile, many college football fans and journalists want to add a multi-game playoff. More games equal more collisions. More collisions equal more injuries, some of them catastrophic. 


Now, I know football will never be completely safe. Every sport has its risks. That being said, everything must be done to minimize head and neck injuries and preserve the long-term health of its participants. Rules outlawing helmet to helmet hits or leading with the helmet are a good start. So is improved equipment and holding out athletes who have concussions. 

However, what truly needs to change is the culture surrounding the game. Players are often derided by fans, media, fellow players and coaches for missing games due to concussions. Toughness is often equated with playing hurt. And many fans, players, and coaches love hearing the sound of two helmets popping together after a big hit. But are those things worth the risk of ruining someone's life? Meaningful safety reforms in sports such as hockey, cycling, and NASCAR have only occurred after a death or multiple deaths of participants. I hate to think that will happen in football, but will the sight of someone dying after a big hit finally get the NFL and NCAA to clean up their act? Or will someone have the wherewithal to advocate change before the unthinkable happens?