[aeneas1]

my daughter, a sophomore in college, just texted me this photo of her, her girlfriends/coworkers, posing with a guy at a catering gig they did last night - she captioned the photo "recognize this guy?". (my daughter is the 6-footer in the shot!).

of course i immediately recognized that it was ricky watters.

no doubt due to the drama surrounding gurley's health, looking at the photo of ricky got me thinking about the beating he took running the ball in the nfl (and long before he ever got to the nfl actually), and the toll it has taken since his retirement - sadly, it's a tough post-career toll that gurley and a lot of other nflers could face.

from a 2012 article re ricky watters:

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Watters lives with aftereffects of punishing football career
Posted: October 11, 2012 - 1:18 AM
https://www.philly.com/philly/sports/ea ... areer.html

Forever, Ricky Watters will live with his infamous dismissal, his implication that his health was more important than winning a football game. It is what many fans will remember, with disgust, on Sunday when he addresses them as an honorary captain before the Eagles play the Lions.

It is ugly irony, then, that, forever, Watters will live with pain he suffers from carrying and catching footballs at Veterans Stadium, among other places; pain, from head to toe.

"I got it all," he said. His knees ache, of course. He tore his right medial collateral ligament and his left posterior cruciate ligament. He has five pins in his right ankle. A metal plate envelops his right femur. He carries a pin in his right foot. A shattered right index finger never properly healed; it has robbed him of his ability to draw and paint, which he loves.

Periodically, his neck and shoulders freeze up so badly, his cheeks hurt. An undiagnosed crack in his sternum healed improperly and he thought he was having a heart attack. When back issues snuck up on him a few years ago, Watters thought his kidneys were failing.

Only 43, Watters has arthritis in his hips, his right hand, his right wrist, his shoulders and his ankles; and, yes, even in his toes. And that's the good news. Ricky Watters' mind is broken, too. Watters is among the legion of players involved in concussion litigation against the NFL.

He said he had dozens of concussions, from the time he starred at Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg, then at Notre Dame, then in San Francisco, Philadelphia and, finally, Seattle, his last stop in a 10-year NFL career. "Not that I knew what a concussion was then," Watters said. How many times did he play without his full mental faculties? "Hundreds of times."

All but two of the eligible running backs who rank ahead of Watters in yards from scrimmage are in the Hall of Fame. One, Tiki Barber, made only three Pro Bowls and never won a Super Bowl. The other, Jerome Bettis, needed three more seasons than Watters to gain 220 more yards. Bettis went to the Pro Bowl six times, but the sixth was a gift to a faded star. By the time he won a Super Bowl, he was a role player; his ring, a retirement present, since he quit after that 2005 season. Watters scored 12 TDs in 11 postseason games. He finished with 91 career touchdowns, more than O.J. Simpson and Thurman Thomas. Does he seek the call of the Hall? "I think it's a matter of time," Watters said. "It would be a great legacy to leave behind."

[snackdaddy]

Its gotta be tough for former players when they age. I've been playing sports pretty regular up until about 5 years ago. I hung up the cleats after pitching men's fastpitch softball for 30 years. I quit when I was 57. That sport is dying out now. The only games were tournaments out of town. Working 5 days a week and traveling most weekends was tough and expensive. I also played in a basketball league until my early 50's.

Today I ache mainly in my back and hips. Doc says I need surgery on my shoulder but I'm only doing that if its last resort. I can manage it the way it is now. Although I did have a couple heavy lifting jobs in my younger days where I injured my back and its never been the same.

I don't like the aching that comes with age but I couldn't imagine what a pro football player goes through. Its gotta be ten times worse. I'm fortunate I'm still healthy enough to walk 18 holes on the golf course. A lot of those guys probably could not.