Watching Him Play Football

Watching Him Play Football

Riverside Middle School

Middlebrook, VA

Fall 2016

Clay told me he wanted to play football all his life.  And he was so damn excited when he finally made it and played for a team.  He was a good player.  He was fast and wasn't afraid to take a hit.  He understood the game and he was a team player.  But I worried about the injuries.  I worried about his skinny body and his knees.  But mostly I worried about concussions.  And I tried not to be negative but I also couldn't bring myself to be thrilled about this choice.  When he broke his arm during the summer, I thought that might deter him but the doctor gave him the OK to play as early as the first game.  He was so damn excited not to miss even a game.  But when his arm broke again, in the third game, in the same spot, that did it for him.  He was finished with this sport and I was silently relieved.