Opinions on "The Hit"

[IrishSteelhead]

My friend met Darryl Stingley's mother today. If you don't know, he was the Patriot receiver that was paralyzed from the chest down in a preseason game from a hit by Raiders safety Jack Tatum.



Throughout the years leading to Stingley's death caused by complications due to his quadriplegic condition, Tatum apparently never talked to Stingley, so in turn never apologized for what happened.



Some people think this was an epic POS move on Tatum's part, and others chalk it up to the game of football being violent (especially during this time period) and just "something that happens."



I was curious what some of the old timers that remember the play think.



IMO, Tatum didn't mean to end the guys career and (ultimately) life, but don't see how a simple apology was too difficult. Tatum didn't need to admit fault, just acknowledge the aftermath was quite awful, even if he didn't feel bad about it (which clearly seemed to be the case).

 

[kmoose]

My friend met Darryl Stingley's mother today. If you don't know, he was the Patriot receiver that was paralyzed from the chest down in a preseason game from a hit by Raiders safety Jack Tatum.



Throughout the years leading to Stingley's death caused by complications due to his quadriplegic condition, Tatum apparently never talked to Stingley, so in turn never apologized for what happened.



Some people think this was an epic POS move on Tatum's part, and others chalk it up to the game of football being violent (especially during this time period) and just "something that happens."



I was curious what some of the old timers that remember the play think.



IMO, Tatum didn't mean to end the guys career and (ultimately) life, but don't see how a simple apology was too difficult. Tatum didn't need to admit fault, just acknowledge the aftermath was quite awful, even if he didn't feel bad about it (which clearly seemed to be the case).

He should have apologized, but if you are looking for a possible reason why he didn't?

This doesn't justify it, but a possible explanation is that Tatum felt immense guilt and speaking to Stingley would have just amplified that guilt; like to the point of being excruciatingly painful. Tatum may have been just playing it off as "these things happen" in order to assuage his guilt over the years. I don't know, but I think that's certainly a possibility.

To be clear, though: No matter how painful it might have been, Tatum should have apologized. Who knows? It might have even served to ease some of that guilt...

 

[BobbyMac]

I thought I heard he originally tried to reach out to Stingley at the hospital but his family sent him away. Here's a few quotes about it:

Obituary: Jack Tatum dies at 61; Oakland Raider safety whose hit left Darryl Stingley paralyzed - LA Times

[In a 2004 interview] Tatum told the Oakland Tribune he had tried to visit Stingley in an Oakland hospital shortly after the incident but was turned back by the receiver's family. They never met after the hit.

It would have been nice if Tatum would have said it was a tragedy and taken the edge off but it was a good football play for the time and definitely nothing compared to watching a Dick Butkus highlight which the NFL proudly displays although Butkus was trying to mame people on every play. It was also far less graphic than watching Johnny Knox get folded in half... backwards.

And to think, if a certain DB coach wouldn't have petitioned Woody Hayes to convert the then RB, Jack Tatum while at OSU.