Best Wishes, Eric Legrand

Rutgers defensive tackle Eric Legrand was critically injured making a special teams tackle against Army Saturday. He's paralyzed from the neck down but responsive.

As serious as Kenjon Barner's injury was against Washington State, it could have been much worse. Replays of the hit Kenjon took are scary. The Cougar defender caromed off a block at full speed, helmet-to-helmet to contact, and in the slow-motion replays you can see Barner's head and neck twisted at an alarming angle around his shoulders. At the time was a tremendous relief to see him stand up and respond.

Football is a violent and dangerous game, and the players' families live with the unspoken awareness that on any play their sons and brothers could suffer a horrible, life-altering injury.

The speed and aggression of football is part of the game. We celebrate big hits, as long as both players get up and remain healthy. But something drastic, innovative, and decisive has to be done to reduce the risk of catastrophic injury in football.

For one, coaches must teach players to lead with the shoulder, always. Kenny Rowe and Javes Lewis do, and they deliver forceful, legal blows all the time with a much-reduced risk of major head and neck injury. What's often overlooked is there is as much or more risk for the player making the tackle as the ball carrier. Legrand and Mark Buoniconti were both critically injured playing defense. Lowering the head and leading with it is a grave risk.

The NCAA ought to consider major rules changes, outlawing helmet-first tackles, subject to 15-yard penalties, and in blatant cases, even ejection. The kickoff is one of the most exciting and decisive plays in football, but some consideration ought to be given to eliminating the kickoff. Human bodies aren't meant for full-speed collisions at 40 miles per hour. Helmet technology hasn't kept up with the speed and size of the players.

When football was in its infancy at the turn of the previous century Teddy Roosevelt considered banning the game. Changes were made to make it safer, including the introduction of the leather helmet, the abolition of the flying wedge, and the advent of the forward pass. While it's important not to overreact to a tragedy, anything that can be done to improve player safety ought to be discussed. College football is a tremendous sport. Everything reasonable should be done to ensure the young men who play are not left broken and ruined by the game they love.