Nothing's Worth That

For a 21 year old star quarterback, eager to begin his sophomore season and continue shattering records, it must be devastating. When I received the news release this afternoon, I was shocked and then, immensely disappointed for Jonathan.

The day after the interview aired, McGill visited the Rouge et Or in Quebec City. Jonathan suffered a serious knee injury in the third quarter of the game and is gone for the remainder of the season. An MRI revealed two torn ligaments in his left knee and a stretched nerve. He's expected to undergo surgery sometime in the next three weeks. In the news release, he says he knows he can come back from the knee injury with therapy and hard work; he is more concerned with the numbness in his foot. I'm hoping surgery goes well, the numbness disappears and he heals completely. I get the feeling he's too confident to change his outlook or his level of determination to make a difference on the field.

I stand-by what I blogged yesterday; he'll be back. He's too talented and determined not to be.

I watched as Winnipeg QB Buck Pierce dislocated his throwing elbow over the weekend. There is a guy who has been dogged by a slew of injuries, from broken bones to concussions. As I watched him being helped off the field, I thought of Troy Aikman. The former Cowboys quarterback has had back surgery, separated shoulders, torn rib cartilage, torn hamstrings, lacerated and fractured fingers, a strained calf, bone chips in his elbow and sprained ligaments in both knees. In December 2000, Aikman's tenth concussion ended his playing career. Already, in 1994, at 27 years old, Aikman was quoted as saying he felt 40, adding he was feeling pain every morning and throughout the off-season. Imagine what life is like now.

After their careers, countless former professional athletes live with incredible and persistent pain. They pop pills and endure agonizing physio just to accomplish basic, everyday movements.

I'm tempted to say nothing's worth that. It's a question I wholeheartedly and sincerely hope Jonathan never has to answer.