Undercover Injury

DJ Hudson goes undercover as an injured player

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Junior DJ Hudson, a member of the defensive line, was injured during the second game of the season.

D.J. Hudson, Sports Editor

I had done it all. I been undercover with many of the teams this school had to offer. I didn’t have a clue what there was left for me to do. Then a “great” idea came upon me: What would it be like to be an injured athlete on a football team?

I sprung into action (or in this case out of action) with fracturing my shoulder. It didn’t take any time to figure out a way to cause a fracture, and I was successful during practice. However, once the pain set in, it was on to the hospital, starting off with an X-Ray. My X-Ray came back negative and I feared that my undercover plan had been blown, but then… the doctor delivered the news that I would need an MRI.

Before my MRI, they injected me with a special type of black dye in the shoulder, so it would show up better on the imaging. Sure enough, I had a fractured bone in my shoulder. This undercover operation would be a success!

As an injured player on the football team, the player is still required to report every day for practice. First, the player must see a trainer to do physical therapy. Then, the player must stay with their position group in a practice jersey and helmet.

After practicing injured for a week, I was ready to report to the game against Springboro to complete my mission. The day would start off like a regular Friday with a special teams meeting and team walkthroughs followed by the team pre-game meal.

After the meal, however, injured players were advised to stay outside of the locker room so that they would not stray others from their focus, which was a different experience for me. Once it was game time, injured players do not run through the tunnel or out onto the field before the game; they must stay on the sidelines for the rest of the night. This, too, is difficult.

Being injured is not only frustrating, but disappointing in that you want to join your teammates, but you always can’t. I just hope I never EVER have to do this again.