High school football workouts are upon us and in light of the recent on-the field deaths in the gridiron world, safety is of the utmost importance.

Wednesday, August 08, 2001

High school football workouts are upon us and in light of the recent on-the field deaths in the gridiron world, safety is of the utmost importance.

When NFL Pro Bowl offensive lineman Korey Stringer died Tuesday, America took notice of the danger of not listening to your body. On Friday, Northwestern University safety Rashidi Wheeler died of asthma during workouts. Dozens of high school players in the past decade have died on the football field due to similar complications.

The bottom line is young football players do not need to try to be heroes. If your body is telling you you’re pushing too hard, chances are you need to back off.

Trying to prove you can tough it out can prove tragic in certain circumstances. The old cliche "no pain, no gain" may be true, but everyone has their limitations.