Jack Tatum's Hit on Darryl Stingley: Cheap Shot?

First, I'm a die hard Raider fan, have been for all my life. Second, no that wasn't a cheep shot, however, it was pre season and Tatum could have avoided the hit. That being said, Tatum had and still has the reputation of being the hardest hitting person ever to play the game, even back then. This guy took Earl Campbell head on rolled off to the side then walked away leaving Campbell holding his head in the end zone, Tatum hit EVERYONE hard. It's the nature of the game and the nature of Jack Tatum, just thank God that this doesn't happen more often. His behavior in the years following the hit is TOTALLY inexcusable, I'm a big fan but I'm also a human being and my thoughts go out to the Stingley family.

Reply

Tatum's hit was clean by all of the standards in place
at the time of the incident.In today's game he would
have been flagged and received a lengthy suspension.
As a previous writer noted it was a pre-season game
but at some point instinct take's over,and the fact
that the game is an exhibition has no relevance for
the player's involved.Yes,Tatum's hit was clean,but
Jack Tatum the person is dirty and should be an
outcast in the world of professional sport's for his
disgraceful conduct over the ensuing year's.Daryll
Stingley was the epitome of courage in his fight to
live and support his family in spite of his condition.
Stingley was crippled physically,but Tatum is a moral
cripple,a thug and a disgrace to the NFL and himself.

Reply

it was a cheap shot but people got to understand that that's way game is played and people are going to get hurt!

Reply

First football is a hard hitting game and people are going to get hurt. Secondly no i don't think Tatum's hit was a cheap shot because he was only defending his reputation as the hardest hitter in the history of the NFL.

Reply

To hit him that hard when he no longer had posession of the ball was sort of a cheap shot, but then Tatum was sort of chep shot player. He liked to hit hard weather it was needed or not. It made him feel good. It wasn't always for the good of the good of the game, but to make him feel good about himself. If he left someone paralyzed, even in a practice game or a casual game at park, he probably would'nt care as long as he felt all powerful about himself. He still feels that same way today, never felt bad about what Stingley's injury. Sick guy if you ask me. You can be a player and still be a human being.

Reply

I remember vividly the reports of this incedent when it happened in 1978. I remeber thinking that Stingley was only four years older than I and how this had ruined his career as a player and how angry I was, and still am, that Tatum's career continued. Tatum was not a sportsman. He was a thug that excelled at what he did. Which is not admirable. If he has a conscience, his actions will haunt him forever.

Reply

A true tragedy and my prayers go out to anyone who has to suffer the ensuing life Stingley had to endure after that hit.
No matter what's said about Tatum, I find it hard to believe his intentions were to paralyze anyone.

So for everyone whos cheered a Ronnie Lott, Brian Dawkins, Dick Butkus, I can go on and on, hit....then turns around an makes the type comments I've heard about Tatum....they need to do some soul searching.
Anyone who knows football knows the Chuck Bednerik hit on Frank Gifford...Gifford was lucky, Stingley wasn't.

There is one thing I'd like to know...
Did Steve Grogan apologize for overthrowing the ball on the most dangerous pass pattern in the NFL?
Folk's, he had time to throw the ball.
Maybe he did apologize, I don't know.
It would be interesting to find out though.

And people can say anything they want NOW. They would have loved to have a Tatum type on their team..and every week they cheer when a similar hit occurs.

"Holy shit, did you see that hit?......yeahhhh!"
Just be glad the player got up AFTER you cheered.

Again, my prayers to the Stingley family and all others suffiring similar tragedys.

Reply

if you watch in slow motion d.s. drops his head down b4 the hit. it is this action that caused the injury, not the hit itself. had he raised his head he would have walked away.

Reply

I grew up in LA as a Rams fan and grew up disliking everything about the Raiders; however, even I can say this was not a cheap hit. I play Arena football now and know that is the nature of the game. There would not be highlight reels of big hits, including full length dvds distibuted by the NFL, if this wasn't expected. While in motion Tatum was unable to know if Stingley was going to drop that ball or catch it, so he is required to hit him. Think about it, what if Stingley bobled that ball, looked like he was going to drop it, so Tatum let off the hit and Stingley ended up coming down with it. Madden would have been all over him, the announcers would have called him a panzy and the Raiders fans would have booed him. You can't criticize a man who is doing his job. If you don't want to get injured on the job, then be a secretary and hope you don't get Carpel-Tunnel. Why should he cry over it, he did his job, he did what was expected of him by the team, the NFL, the fans, and the viewers. You aren't going to criticize an American troop that doesnt go back and apologize to an Iraqi's family who the American killed because he wasrunning at him with an AK or a bomb; no you don't because now matter how much killing sucks, that is what they are supposed to be doing.

Reply

I still remember that day, I was twelve years old at the time and it had a big impact on me. Even at twelve, it still shocked me how hard that hit was for preseason play and I'll never forget the aftermath. Here in New England that hit was like 911, you always remember where you were when you either saw or heard about it. You make the call, the guy calls himself "Assasin".

Reply

Anyone who watches this video or saw the game when it was live and thinks that Tatum's hit was a cheap shot should go and watch every hit highlight reel that has ever been made and compare. The problem that people have with this is that it was preseason. Preseason is time to get ready to play, it's not time to hold back so that you can make it to the season. Practice like you play, preseason, postseason, off season, or go home. The real issue is that the ball was horribly overthrown, and the fact that it wasn't caught was irrelevant. Tatum was on course to hit stingley, and anyone who has played or watched football EVER knows that you can't pull back when you are engaged like Tatum was. If the ball had been caught, then Tatum would have made a huge play, the kind of "throw it up the middle if you dare" type of play that the Raiders were known best for. It sucks that Stingley was paralyzed, but risks such as those are the ones you take when you step on the field. Many players have had career ending and life changing injuries. The career expectancy for football players is really low, and every down is another chance to get carried off the field on a stretcher, but people still play. Finally, Steve Grogan has no business going on tv anywhere and talking about whether or not Tatum's hit was cheap. Truth is that if Grogan's throw had been even remotely catchable, Stingley wouldn't have had to go for the sacrificial leap in the middle of of an extremely talented and viscious Raider secondary. Any receiver or armcharm quarterback will tell you that crossing routes up the middle put the receiver in more danger than any other pattern they could run, and a high ball that you have to go airbourne for compounds that danger exponentially.

Reply

KM #10
Let me get this right.
First...at the knowledgeable age of 12 your vast football wisedom was so far beyond the other 7th graders you just knew that no one EVER got hit hard in preseason?

Second...one man becoming paralyzed playing a collision sport is even REMOTELY close to 3,000 people dying a grizzly death, either burning alive or plummeting hunderd of feet to their death?

WOW!
I guess you do remember where you were when you saw or heard about it....A visit to the planet Mars has got to be a memorable experience.



J #9 and Nick #11
EXACTLY!

These people on here obviously never played the game themselves.
If they did, they'd KNOW when the ball was in the air Tatum broke on the receiver...and whats a DB taught?....seperate the man from the ball.
A mere several feet away when the GROSSLY overthrown ball sailed over Stingley, Tatum couldn't pull up, and THAT close at THAT speed, trying to would have risked injury to himself.....selfpreservation would win out...imagin that!

I know New England fans will never admit it, but if the rest of the country NEEDS to place blame.
Place it properly...place it on Steve Grogan.

After all, Grogan said himself, it was only a preseason game.....why risk injury to your teammate by sending him out into a pattern in the middle of the most vicious secondary in the NFL.

YES, Grogan was the last of the NFL QB's to call their own plays..... The Hypocrite!

Reply

Com' on you gotta be kiddin me. Thats why todays football is so boring, you can hardly touch a player. I'm not saying anything against Stingley but honestly thats what football is all about.. getting hit, trying to knock them down, Stingley got hit wrong thats all, it was not an intentianal hit!! Preseason nothing.. it was a good hit gone bad. Although my condolences to the family he is now in a better place resting with no injuries. My prayers go out to you. As for Tatum keep your head up your one of the all time favorites.

Reply

The hit was legal at the time, but served as justification for a new set of more stringent rules. Blaming Grogan is ridiculous. he made a poor throw, but was his intent to hurt someone? I think Tatum's was.

The worst thing was Tatum's behavior after the hit. No contact at all. How about the attempt by Tatum to publicly "reconcile" to promote his book? That should tell you how he thinks.

And please don't start with the BS about being a pansy; I played in OLB/ DE in college, and while I always tried to hit hard, I never stooped to cheap shots or head hunting.

I bet a lot of Pats fans smiled when they learned of Tatum's illness and amputation. There are very few people in the world I would wish that on, but Jack is one of them.

Reply

one more thing; to say that tatum didn't have time to soften the hit or avoid it after the pass went incomplete is bullshit. Stingley was moving forward and could have been avoided with a single step to the right. Tatum was going to lay Stingley out whether he caugth it or not. That's Tatum all over. Just watch the replay and see where his hands go up. After the ball is by Stingley.

Reply

I do not think the hit was dirty. The problem I have is Tatum never showed any compassion for Stingly and only contacted him while he was promoting his book.
Like it or not Tatums callousness makes him look bad.
#8 Rams fan,you are full of shit you are a Raider fan I know this because only a fan of the Raiders would be ignorant enough to equate feeling remorse about causing a fellow ballplayer a crippling injury with a soldier making an apology for killing an enemy on the battlefield. Congratulations that comment has gotten you inducted into the ASSCLOWN hall of fame

Reply

Sorry "very sorry" for the late D.Stingley and his family, what can one say, am sorry for Tatum, we are people who will judge, rithtly or worngly,the last thing i believe is that Tatum wanted to paralyzed Stingley. Am sure he's not the first player to be paralyzed, nor be the last in the game of football, where the possiblity is alway there.Tatum was a player a good one at his position "therefore the reputation" Sheap shot "no", the out come, know one would have liked to have seen this out come, not even Tatum, no matter what some one may think of Tatum. "Sorry for the family"

Reply

I was living in southern cal back in 1976 and saw the game televised.It looked ugly back then as it does now.Jack Tatum was always a vicious hitter. Remember he damn near took Sammy Whites head off during the 1976 Super Bowl game vs Minnesota.Jack Tatum knocked three receivers out cold in a college game while playing for Ohio State. Jack did have a chip on his shoulder,it looked like he could of avoided hitting Daryl with that incomplete pass. Knowing Jack Tatum's philosophy of hurting receivers by spearing them WHICH IS NOW ILLEGAL;it sure would appear that he meant to hurt Daryl.Why Jack never apologized to Daryl is pretty sickening.He was too guilty to face him one on one.

Reply

Yes it's true that the hit was extremely ugly by today's standards of play and sportsmanship! But REMEMBER THAT IT 1976 AND HE WAS BEING PAID TOP DOLLAR TO DO EXACTLY THAT! DON'T TRY TO TURN THIS MAN INTO THE EXAMPLE OF THE WORST THAT HUMANITY HAS TO OFFER UNTIL YOU CONSIDER THE TEAM OWNERS WHO PAID HIM AND THE NFL WHICH DID NOTHING TO KEEP THIS FROM HAPPENING! That was not the first major hit nor injury up till that time and as far as I can tell it's not going to be the last one! As an ex-reciever I can tell you that from the first practice that I played my Coach told me to never leave my feet for a pass in the middle AND NEVER...NEVER DUCK YOUR HEAD! PLEASE CHECK THE VIDEO ONCE MORE! Then as an ex-player I'd like you to consider that maybe Mr.Jack Tatum bragged about being "THE ASSASSIN!" because he no longer felt the right to be called "MISTER"!!!

Reply

I was saddened to hear of Stingley's recent death. My problem with Tatum is not so much the hit, but his show of indifference after the fact. To not show any sort of concern for Stingley's fate is simply wrong. I think THAT'S what people have a problem with. He was more concerned with protecting his reputation as a tough guy than for the well being of a fellow sports guy regardless of the fact they played on opposite teams. A little remorse over the years by Tatum would have made all the difference. The fact that he's had some recent amputations due to diabetes gives me a little sense of relief that perhaps he's finally understanding the hardship of a disability. The man gets absolutely zero sympathy from me. RIP Mr. Stingley.

Reply