Everyone knows that risk comes with any sport, whether it be a pickup game, intramurals, or especially in the professional space.
But beyond that, football may be the only one that could potentially have fans cringing at head injuries– look at Tua Tagovailoa’s scary head injuries.
The latest quarterback to get pummeled by a linebacker was Trevor Lawrence in the hit seen worldwide when the Jacksonville Jaguars took on the Houston Texans last weekend.
Lawrence appears to slide when Azeez Al-Shaair launches himself into his helmet, causing him to get a concussion that would likely end his 2-10 season and a brawl to ensue.
For his hit, Al-Shaair received a three-game suspension after an unsuccessful appeal because of his history of dirty plays.
But our host, Rodney Rikai, isn’t sold on the ruling.
“I miss the days when football players weren’t part of this protected class of citizens. I understand rules have changed, and you can no longer make contact with players who are in the process of giving themselves up, but I don’t see this happening with running backs,” Rikai said. “From a defensive standpoint, the goal has always been to pursue the football. You’re always told to finish plays. He didn’t even really hit him; it was more like a shove down.”
Cohost Samaria Terry agrees with Rikai on the issue, having previously covered him when he played as a Tenessee Titan, and despite remembering him as an aggressive player, she describes him as a leader in the locker room.
After digging into the messiness of Serena Williams’ skin-bleaching rumors and Tyrod Taylor’s relationship with ex girlfriend Draya, our special guest of the week is Mario Chalmers.
The two-time NBA champion talks with the crew about his experience growing up in Alaska’s basketball scene, the rise of Cooper Flagg in college basketball, and his real feelings about NIL.
Watch the latest episode of The Fumble above.