Brutally Wounded Richard Collier Talks for First Time Since Being Shot 14 Times

Anytime you think life has dealt you an unfair shake, you can likely point to the story of Richard Collier and count your blessings. The former Jacksonville offensive lineman is going through the rest of life paralyzed from the waist down, with only one remaining leg, after being shot 14 times in early September. While I can't imagine the physical toll this would take on someone, I couldn't even begin to fathom the mental toll it would take.

Collier explains, to the Orlando Sentinel in his first interview since the shooting, how it would haunt any one of us:

"I remember everything," Collier said Monday afternoon in his first interview since he sustained 14 gunshot wounds following a night out on the town with Pettway on Sept. 2. "I just remember the whole incident. It plays back in my mind all the time. Try to come up with these scenarios, if I did this, if I did that."

I think that would be the toughest thing for me. To think if you moved a different direction, maybe you'd have escaped with just minor injuries.

Of course, the better approach would be to remind yourself that, with 14 bullets hitting your body, you are damn lucky to be alive. Hopefully he's explored that avenue and made peace with himself.

Another layer of the mental anguish for Collier would be the fact that his career has been taken away from him prematurely. He was known as a hard worker who fought for a starting spot in camp. Considering his age, he still had time to stick as an NFL player. In just an instant that was taken from him, without his choosing.

The police have arrested a man and charged him with the shooting. They believe it was Tyrone Hartsfield in a retaliatory shooting, stemming from a fight between Collier and Hartsfield back in April. I can just hear the insensitivity now. Anyone who is insensitive and ignorant enough to believe Collier "got what he deserved" because he was involved in a fight should keep in mind we don't know the details from the fight. Furthermore, does a fight with no weapons call for 14 shots being fired upon someone? That's not an eye for eye. Not even close.

I am happy for Collier in one respect, which is that he's been able to remain positive through this tragic ordeal.

"Everything happens for a reason," Collier said. "I don't know my purpose in life yet, but I just know that this didn't happen for no reason."

The full article, an Orlando Sentinel exclusive, is definitely worth a read.