What Matters!

Irrespective of our irrational preoccupation with the game of football and the fortunes of the Illini; we are reminded that it’s just a game, and not a matter of life and death. It often takes a moment like the sight of a motionless kid sprawled out and unresponsive to reinforce for us that which is truly important and meaningful in our lives. I have admired Donsay Hardeman for his fearless play and all-out effort these past two seasons as I have commented on our show and lamented that we could use 10 more with his heart and desire on a defense that is woefully deficient on virtually every level.

I felt a sense of horror as I pondered whether Donsay would ever walk again after his first half hit and apparent injury necessitated the use of a safety board and cart to take him off the field. The rest of the game and the mistake prone performance of his teammates was rendered insignificant and meaningless vis-à-vis the fate of a young man facing a paralytic future.

When news reports on Sunday indicated that Donsay merely had a sprained neck, I felt a sense of relief that dwarfed my disappointment from the previous nights result. Donsay is just 11 months removed from major neck surgery and I wonder what the wisdom was of playing a contact sport that is the equivalent of being involved in multiple car crashes each and every day. Perhaps he should have been red shirted if there was a shadow of a doubt regarding his fitness for participation in a game that requires controlled violence on each and every play. Had Donsay been paralyzed and confined to a wheel chair or worse, the financial risk to the University would have been astronomical. More importantly, the risk to our humanity would have been far greater, and rightly so, if we had put a kid at risk without full consideration of the consequences. It is with the aforementioned in mind that I urge the coaching staff and administration to err on the side of caution and sit Donsay until we are absolutely sure that he is fit for full contact and the rigors of the game.

I have intentionally used Donsay’s first name to emphasize that we are talking about the life of a human being with family and friends whom he loves and receives their love in return. His name is Donsay Hardeman and he could be our son or brother and his well being transcends the game and our superfluous desires. Say his name out loud once please, Donsay Hardeman, and then say a prayer to yourself for his health, safety and welfare; and let us all say Amen.