There was nothing to be proud of when you watched Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle limping on the field last night in the National Championship game.
Thank God, the talented speedster from Houston did no more damage after returning too quickly from an ankle fracture that required surgery in October.
I want to be very clear, I don’t blame Waddle for wanting to play. I think the desire to be there for his team was altruistic and admirable.
Who I I have The culprit, 100%, is the team’s medical staff, head coach Nick Saban and the people in Waddle’s inner circle.
No one I listed should have encouraged this man to go on the field last night and risk the opportunity to throw his family’s generational wealth as a first draft.
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Before being injured in the game against Tennessee, Waddle was the most explosive player in Alabama’s receiving core and that says a lot, considering the winner of the Heisman Trophy. DeVonta Smith she lined up next to him. Waddle is currently projected to be a pick in the middle of the first round in Todd McShay’s current 2021 draft. The prospects of the 2020 project that were selected at the same time are expected to be chosen by Waddle around $ 15 million for their first contract with a signing bonus of over $ 7 million. This is not a strange change for the average guy.
The ability for Waddle to become a high winner not only means a lot to him and his family, but it is also important to the black community. With wealth gap In this country that disproportionately affects black Americans, when the opportunity arises to move to another category of taxes, Waddle should be encouraged to do all he can to ensure that this happens.
The boys in the pros know exactly what they are talking about, and many of them weighed the Waddle situation by giving the young pin receiver their advice.
That’s why it was a shame for the Alabama medical staff to put Waddle on that field without him being 110%. He limped clearly in the warm-ups and could not run smoothly without discomfort in his ankle.
Even though ESPN later reported in the broadcast that the ankle is completely healed, there is a difference between being healed and being ready to play at the highest level. Clearly, Waddle was not ready to be there and was not in power. Even if the ankle was technically good, if Waddle didn’t feel comfortable playing on it, then it could have led to overcompensation, relying on other muscles too strong, which could have caused another injury in out of the ankle.
This is where Saban should have intervened. As a coach who cares about the players you bring through your schedule and cares about bringing them to the next level, there is no way you can follow Waddle and think it’s okay to play on that ankle.
At one point, Saban should have taken the decision out of the player’s hands and told him to sit down. Even if Waddle wanted to play in the game just to remember the game in a national championship, all he had to do was make a catch in the first quarter and then sit down. He finished the game with three catches for 34 meters and limped visibly after most of these games.
At the end of the day, Waddle did absolutely nothing to improve his circulation on Monday night. If anything, limping around the field could have affected his chances of being selected in April. Fieldwork is not the most beautiful final impression you want to make on NFL decision makers. Waddle was essentially mortgaging his future for the chance to play in a game his team would win anyway.
It was dangerous and irresponsible for Waddle to set foot on that field on Monday night.
Sometimes in life, you need other people to tell you what’s best for you. This was definitely one of those times for Waddle.
Thank God he succeeded through the game.
For all the young players watching last night: what Waddle did is not an example to follow, it is something to avoid.