By Payton Brooks
It should not come as a shock that, after Richard Collier of the Jacksonville Jaguars became the third NFL player to be show during the course of eighteen months, the Collier shooting is affecting his Jacksonville Jaguar teammates. The shooting, which happened early in the morning on September 2nd, happened while Collier and a former Jacksonville teammate were waiting in the car for women that they had met when they were out at a club; while there were few specifics that were released about the Collier shooting, what is certain is that he has been hospitalized, has undergone surgery and remains in critical condition.
Initially after the Collier shooting, answers about his condition were give by the hospital staff; however, after Collier's family requested that additional information not be released, the updates stopped - something that was explained by a hospital spokesperson. The Jaguars coach - Jack Del Rio - could understand why Collier's family would request privacy. Since then, limited information has been released about Collier's condition; the statements that have been made are that, since the shooting Collier has had some improvement and that his family is optimistic about his chances for recovery.
However, what everyone does know about the Collier shooting is that, for the first couple of weeks, his health will be touch and go; things could change at any point in time and, while Collier has been awake and alert at times, it's clear that there is a great deal of recovery that he'll need to do before his condition will be markedly approved. For the Jacksonville Jaguars whose season officially begins on Sunday, it stands to reason that Collier's teammates are working through some shock, stress and anxieties of their own.
Collier's Jacksonville Jaguars teammates, of course, recognize that he is not yet in stable condition and recognize that the twenty six year old offensive tackle still has a lot of recovery work to do. They recognize too that, in addition to being a Jaguars teammate, Collier is a friend - a friend who has a family and who is struggling and receiving care that is focused on his recovering from serious injuries. On Tuesday, rather than simply planning for the team's season opener against the Tennessee Titans, members of the Jaguars team spent some time focusing on their concern for Collier.
Of course, there are members of the media who have, to some extent, questioned the Collier shooting - partially in response to Collier's arrest during the season last year for driving while intoxicated. Jaguars' teammates have quickly come to his defense, reminding the press that he was, in this case, victimized by a single shooter who has not yet been identified. Ultimately, as the police continue to gather evidence and to find the shooter and Collier continues to recover from the shooting, the Jacksonville Jaguars team will focus on playing the game and doing what they can to overtake the Titans in the season opening game. While the Jaguars may not be able to completely set aside concerns about the Collier shooting, it's certain that they will be focused on and ready for the game.
Payton Brooks is a senior sports writer at Sportsview. Read and rate more free articles like this one, create your own sports and challenge others at Sportsview, the biggest sports social network.
Source:www.isnare.com |
