After coming back from a concussion earlier this year, Packers tight end Jermichael Finley admitted having second thoughts about his current job.
After he was hauled off on a backboard, immobilized and taken to a hospital last night, his teammates were too.
“I ain’t going to lie, man. I ain’t cried in long time, but I definitely shed a tear for him. That’s my brother,” tight end Andrew Quarless said, via Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com. “He couldn’t move at the time. So I just told him, ‘Just stay here, just lay here, don’t move.’ That look he had in his eyes, that was something that stuck with me. It really hurt me just to see him like that. My brother was out there on the ground.
“I was the first one there, I tried to help him up, and he just couldn’t get up. That was tough to see, for me to see my brother out there on the ground and I couldn’t do anything about it.
“I definitely shed a tear for him.”
Quarless was the first of many players to surround him after Finley took a shot from Browns safety Tashuan Gipson in the fourth quarter. The broadcast reported that Finley had feeling in his extremities during the game, but his agent sounded a more careful tone.
“Keep him in your thoughts and be patient,” agent Blake Baratz tweeted last night. “Football doesn’t matter right now.”
Given Finley’s recent comments, that gives the whole thing an ominous tone, which his teammates’ fears did nothing to allay.
“It’s a reminder how tough this game is. We put our bodies on the line, our future health on the line,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. “Obviously with Jermichael, he was playing really well. He’s a great friend, great teammate. He’s had a very good year for us.
“Injuries are a part of the game, but those are tough to see. Not being able to walk off the field, I know in the back of our minds, is kind of our worst nightmare.”
Hopefully there’s news soon that sounds more positive.
