College Football 2011: With Nick Fairley Gone Can the NCCA Clean Up Dirty Hits?

College football is a contact sport.  It is arguably the most physical, hard-hitting sport in the world, though rugby players may argue otherwise.  

The idea of the game should remain the same: defeat your opponent while wearing him out.  Playing more physically than the other guy will make him hurt and make him tired, but it can be done in a somewhat safe manner that minimizes injuries.

The NFL has taken steps to preserve the health of players, but college football has yet to follow suit. 2010 saw a great deal of questionable hits by many different teams and players, most involving improper use of the helmet.   

The football helmet has undergone many evolutionary steps, showcased here by the NCAA. Long story short, the helmet has become a hardened piece of equipment that some players have decided to turn into a weapon.  

What they don't realize is that their entire body weight is applying force to the weakest part of the spine, the neck.  Rugby players learned this a long time ago, while many American football players haven't quite caught on yet.  

Former Auburn safety Zac Etheridge, a brave, inspiring young man and one hell of a football player, had his own brush with disaster on Oct. 31, 2009.  At 55 seconds, you can see the exact point of impact.  

Etheridge's play was clean and legal, but it displays just how dangerous football can be—even without illegal hits—when a play involves the head and spine.

While some players like Etheridge are fortunate, other young men who have led with their helmets were not.

Eric LeGrand, a defensive tackle from Rutgers University, was injured Oct. 16, 2010. After leading with his helmet during a kickoff return—while his 275-pound body was running full-force—LeGrand was paralyzed from the neck down. He is making progress, and sensation is starting to return to his body, but he still has a long journey left; you can help with his journey by visiting the Eric LeGrand Believe Fund website. 

Adam Taliaferro, a cornerback for the Penn State Nittany Lions, also suffered a paralyzing neck injury in 2000.  He was fortunate though and made a full recovery a year later.  In 2001, he led his teammates onto the field in Happy Valley.   

Taliaferro's and LeGrand's stories could just as easily have been one of my or your favorite players.  

During a game against LSU in 2009, Brandon Deaderick—a defensive end for the Alabama Crimson Tide—speared LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Had he been an inch to the left and running slightly faster, a mountain of other possibilities could have put Deaderick in LeGrand's situation.

In 2010, Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley made several questionable hits in the game against Georgia; the most notable was his late hit from behind on true freshman Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray. This hit could have left both players with serious injuries, especially paralysis.

Former Alabama star linebacker Rolando McClain, now an Oakland Raiders rookie, made a poor decision during a game against the St. Louis Rams when he body-slammed another player. This player was mere inches away from landing on his head and neck, and McClain was charged a $5,000 fine by the NFL.  

While not quite as violent, Auburn's T'Sharvan Bell body-slammed Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy—who did land on his head—in a similar fashion McClain's hit. The injury McElroy sustained on this play was aggravated by a strain suffered earlier in the game, as seen here (pardon the inflammatory title of the video).

Also in the Iron Bowl, former Auburn player Mike McNeil made what was nearly a clean hit on Alabama's Darius Hanks.  While the hit itself was acceptable, the lower helmet pointed forward was very close to putting McNeil in serious danger. This play was not called by the referee, but it was a lot more dangerous than was necessary to make the tackle.

Several years ago Auburn's Junior Rosegreen made a similar, violent helmet-first tackle in a game against Georgia. This play could have easily resulted in a wheelchair-bound lifetime for both players, or worse.

Alabama's hands are not clean, either.  In the 2010 game against Tennessee, Alabama true freshman cornerback DeMarcus Milliner also made a helmet-led tackle.

Football is just a game.  It is a way to make a living, get an education, entertain or simply a way to have fun in the backyard.  In the end though, football is still just a game.  

The glory of victories diminishes over time, just like a tarnished trophy.  The temporary high players and fans get when they win a big game disappears, but serious injuries like paralysis, do not.  They last a lifetime.

Football is America's favorite sport.  It's violent, physical and downright rough; exactly what America loves.  The game is already dangerous enough without making the football helmet an extra weapon.

A proper football player should never intentionally make a bad hit, like those exampled above.  If you cannot make the tackle in a proper fashion, don't make the tackle at all.  

A football game will never be worth a lifetime of regret.