Done Too Soon?

Detroit Lions running back Jahvid Best may have played his last football game. It's far too soon. He'll turn 24 next week. He should have his best football ahead of him. Concussions have kept him off the field since 2011. Best has spent over a year trying to find a doctor that will clear him to play. None will. Considering the serious permanent damage that can be caused by these head injuries this may be for the best.

I can still clearly see Jahvid Best soaring through the air to score a touchdown for Cal against Oregon St. in 2009. A collision at the goal line forced him even higher. He was soaring way too high to come down on his head. He wasn't moving for so long. It was one of the most chilling moments that I've ever seen on a football field. It's difficult for any football player to know when that first concussion occurred. For Best, it's pretty easy to point to that night in Corvallis. He never again played football for Cal. Despite ending his junior year with that injury, Best left for the NFL. It proved to be the right decision when the Lions still drafted him at the end of the first round.

Jahvid Best was a big play waiting to happen as soon as he arrived in Berkeley in 2007. He exploded in 2008 when he led the Pac-10 in rushing with 1,580 yards. He averaged an amazing 8.1 yards/carry and scored 15 touchdowns. He showed that year what he could do on a football field. Against Washington in the last game of the regular season, Best was at his very best with 311 yards. An Amazing season. I've been thinking about that season quite a bit since hearing that Jahvid Best may not play again.

Jahvid Best played in only 22 games for the Detroit Lions. It's disappointing. A brief NFL career is still far better than a remaining life thrashed by the damage done to the brain. Concussions are brutal. You can feel fine but your brain most certainly isn't fine. Best likely feels fine over a year removed from his last concussion. I wish Jahvid Best the best in all that he does and thank him for the incredible football thrills that he brought to Cal.