They were two of our sports heroes, and a reminder of how fast things change.
Wasn’t it just yesterday that Allen Iverson was stepping over that fallen Laker as the Sixers won Game 1 of the NBA Finals? Actually is was 2001.
Wasn’t it just last Sunday when Brian Westbrook was returning that punt against the Giants, marking his debut as one of the most feared weapons in the NFL?
Now both have entered the twilight of their careers. For Westbrook, it is literally the same eerie twilight that has derailed the careers of other local stars such as Eric Lindros and Keith Primeau.
Westbrook suffered another concussion Sunday in San Diego. It is the second concussion he’s suffered in as many games. The star running back took two weeks off after being knocked out cold by a knee to the head in a Monday night game against the Redskins. He was cleared to play Sunday, but left the game with concussion symptoms after the first series of the second half.
Westbrook now faces a murky future. He will not play Sunday. And it is possible he will not play again this year. What is being debated is whether Westbrook should play again at all.
So much is unknown about concussions and the effect they have on players years later.
For Iverson, it has been a few years since he so dazzled us in a Sixers uniform. In the interim there were stops in Denver and Detroit.
Yesterday Iverson was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies. Iverson played just three games with Memphis. It was clear he was chafing at the idea of coming off the bench. Iverson still considers himself a starter.
It may be the end of the line for Iverson.
Two stars, both looking at question marks instead of the exclamation points they so often provided.
Such is the nature of sports. Remember that the next time you rip some big-time athlete for taking the money. You bet they did.
They burst on the scene with a flourish, but shine for only a few years, only to be cast aside as their skills eroide and the newest star arrives.
That doesn’t mean we forget them, or what they did.
Especially those exclamation points.
Wasn’t it just yesterday that Allen Iverson was stepping over that fallen Laker as the Sixers won Game 1 of the NBA Finals? Actually is was 2001.
Wasn’t it just last Sunday when Brian Westbrook was returning that punt against the Giants, marking his debut as one of the most feared weapons in the NFL?
Now both have entered the twilight of their careers. For Westbrook, it is literally the same eerie twilight that has derailed the careers of other local stars such as Eric Lindros and Keith Primeau.
Westbrook suffered another concussion Sunday in San Diego. It is the second concussion he’s suffered in as many games. The star running back took two weeks off after being knocked out cold by a knee to the head in a Monday night game against the Redskins. He was cleared to play Sunday, but left the game with concussion symptoms after the first series of the second half.
Westbrook now faces a murky future. He will not play Sunday. And it is possible he will not play again this year. What is being debated is whether Westbrook should play again at all.
So much is unknown about concussions and the effect they have on players years later.
For Iverson, it has been a few years since he so dazzled us in a Sixers uniform. In the interim there were stops in Denver and Detroit.
Yesterday Iverson was waived by the Memphis Grizzlies. Iverson played just three games with Memphis. It was clear he was chafing at the idea of coming off the bench. Iverson still considers himself a starter.
It may be the end of the line for Iverson.
Two stars, both looking at question marks instead of the exclamation points they so often provided.
Such is the nature of sports. Remember that the next time you rip some big-time athlete for taking the money. You bet they did.
They burst on the scene with a flourish, but shine for only a few years, only to be cast aside as their skills eroide and the newest star arrives.
That doesn’t mean we forget them, or what they did.
Especially those exclamation points.
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