One thing football fans learned from Patriots receiver Darryl Stingley's 1978 injury was what a truly decent human being John Madden is. Madden, who at the time was the Oakland Raiders' head coach, took it upon himself to make sure Stingley had a constant stream of visitors while he was in a Bay Area hospital before he could be moved to a hospital closer to his home. Madden and Stingley developed a lifelong friendship, but Madden has also staunchly defended his own player, Jack Tatum, whose hit injured Stingley. This week Madden described both Stingley and Tatum as "good guys" and added,
"There was a collision, and Darryl was in the air and put his head down a little in the collision. It was an accident that happened. There was no one to fault."
I agree with that assessment, but I disagree with Madden's defense of Tatum's comments after the fact and his book, They Call Me Assassin. I wish Tatum had shown one-tenth as much concern for Stingley as Madden did.
Previously at FanHouse:
Jack Tatum's Hit on Darryl Stingley: Cheap Shot?
Darryl Stingley, Paralyzed NFL Player, Dead at 55
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
FLY EAGLES FLY
It is too bad that Darryl Stingley died.
He was a great player.
Stingley should have gone on to even bigger things in life.
You can't blame Jack Tatum for this.
He hit Stingley very hard, but hey, that is what you do in the NFL.
It was not a cheap shot, and Tatum did not mean to hurt him.
Tatum was a hard hitter, and an excellent defensive player.
If I was an NFL coach, I would love to have a Jack Tatum on my team.
I would also want a player like Darryl Stingley.
Both of them are good examples of what it takes to win.
If you do not agree, then go play or watch something else.
I recommend the game of checkers for those who complain about hard hits.
My heart goes out to Darryl Stingley's family.
George Vreeland Hill
I would have to disagree with you George.
Yes, I do understand completely that football is extremely violent sport and serious injuries can and do occur, but Stingley was a player who was a victim of excessive violence and retribution. The hit Tatum delivered was--by Tatum's own admission--unnessecary because the pass that Steve Grogan (Pat's quarterback)threw was well out of Stingley's reach and there would have been no way for Darryl to make the reception (Not to mention too that it was only a meaningless exhibiton game).
Although the hit he delivered was legal in the NFL at the time, many believe--including Stingley himself--that tatum delivered the malicious and unneccessary blow to purposely injure. A lot of people are unaware of it, but during that game, and a couple plays before the tragic accident, Stingley had just embarrassed the Oakland secondary by running 20 yards on a double-reverse play. Tatum's intention was to injure Stingley and put him out of the game, rather than to compete for a win in a moralistic way.
Over the last 30 years, Tatum has shown minimal compassion toward Stingley. He has never contacted him to express sorrow for what happened, but yet he writes morbid books about his experinces of "leveling" other players during his tenure in the NFL.
From what I understand, Tatum has been afflicted with diabetes and--ironically enough--is now a double amputee today and confined to a wheelchair. What goes around comes around!