Rawleigh Williams made the right decision. Thank God. And it was an unusual one for an athlete of his caliber. His is an example that may shape the lives of other young men and women down the road--too many of whom might think little of risking their futures for a few highlights on late-night ESPN.
The Arkansas running back went down against Auburn in October 2015 with a neck injury. It was a frightening time as fans watched paramedics take him off the field that day on a stretcher. He underwent surgery to repair a disc that very same day.
He rehabbed. He healed. He went on to have a fantastic 2016 season and was honored as a first-team All-SEC choice by the Associated Press. He seemed headed for another great year, and maybe the NFL soon enough. Then those of us who were listening to the radio during the final spring practice heard the worst: Very early in the practice, the announcers stopped the program and noted that something was wrong. Somebody was down on the field. Oh, no, it's Rawleigh.
The next few minutes the announcers didn't quite know what to tell the listening audience. The players were kneeling in prayer. The staff is looking at him. He's not moving.
The hit was described as not much of one. Somebody called it a non-tackling "thud." When Rawleigh Williams went down, he told somebody, "I can't move."
Word now comes from the UofA and Rawleigh Williams himself: He's quitting football while he's ahead and can still walk. Arkansas--the university and the state--should be proud.
Rawleigh Williams said he saw the replay, and saw the not much that everybody else did. "I saw a normal hit. That scared me. It shows me it doesn't take a big hit at this point. Any little thing can trigger it. I also saw the reaction of my mom and my sister. That broke my heart. I can't do this anymore. I want to be able to walk."
It shows me . . . .
Rawleigh Williams' actions show the rest of us that there are more important things in life than football. One day, perhaps, his example will save another young person. After all, if a running back, an SEC running back, an award-winning SEC running back, a football player with the ability of a Rawleigh Williams can walk away--emphasis on walk--then why not me? That could be an argument that a coach or parent could use one day to keep somebody from making a life-changing, and wrong, decision.
We all should be proud of this young man. He's not only made the right decision for himself, but, potentially, for many others.
In brighter sporting news, John Daly won on tour again. And, with three bogeys coming in, he's proving again he's still world-class entertainment. He always knows how to keep us on the edge of our easy chair.
It may take a math major--or even a grad student working on his PhD--to figure out the Academic Progress Rate for universities. We won't even give it the ol' college try. It's all we can do to carry the two and balance a checkbook.
But those who know these things say Arkansas' colleges are doing quite well academically. The NCAA released data this past week on its yearly APR scores. On a 1,000-point scale, UA-Fayetteville earned a 977.8 for all 19 of its sports. According to Jeff Long--he of all things athletically Hawg--football, basketball, baseball, all of the sports made "significant progress." And it wasn't just the Razorbacks. Colleges from ASU-Jonesboro down to UA-Pine Bluff did very well, thank you.
This is a good thing, and should make Arkansas proud.
After all, these young people are college athletes. Emphasis on college.
In the baseball world, the Houston Astros are among the leaders in most wins through mid-May.
The Houston Astros.
After the Cubs' championship last year, it seems that anything is possible.
Editorial on 05/13/2017