The Long Road Back
Anyone Who Has Played American Football Will Testify That At Some Point, You Will Have Injuries To Contend With, Minor Or More Serious. This Article Gives Us An Insight Into How One Player Is Dealing With That Adversity, Read It, And Be Inspired.
If you’ve seen the Tamworth Phoenix play over the last couple of years, you would have noticed an aggressive outside linebacker firing off the edge to cause havoc in the backfield. That guy in the number 31 jersey is called He Eman. He may not be the biggest or fastest guy on the field, but nobody is going to match him for heart and intensity.
A seven year Britball veteran, he started his career with the Leicester Falcons as a running back, but moved up a level to play for the Phoenix, and transitioned to the linebacker role. “I just wanted to test myself against the best” states Eman. “I love the physicality playing at linebacker”. With his great work ethic and some excellent coaching, his performance level was ascending upwards rapidly. He claimed a starting spot and made such an impact, that he was invited to the Great Britain squad camps. Leading by example, he was an inspiration to his teammates. He was an amateur athlete, working out like a pro.
But just when things were spectacularly good…..just like that, they became spectacularly bad! During the 2015 play-off semi-final against the London Warriors he felt a tweak, but toughed it out. Then, during the off-season, whilst working on a back pedal drill at a GB camp he burst out of his stance, planted his right foot, drove hard and boom! His knee blew out. Thinking it was a temporary thing, he limped off the field and let the physio work on it on the sideline. It soon became obvious that he would be taking no further part in that camp, and to his dismay, in the next few days it dawned on him that this was a serious injury and perhaps the next season was over for him before it had even started. As the 2016 season progressed, it was obvious the Phoenix were making a run for the Northern Conference championship, they were rolling over teams and were unbeaten, but for Eman, his dream had been snatched away.
The NHS is great, but this is not the NFL, just getting an accurate diagnosis was going to take time…quite a bit of time. The last thing a competitive athlete wants to hear is, “you need to rest, no sports for you for a few months”, but that was the hand he had been dealt. Even though he couldn’t contribute on the field, he could add value with coaching support, so for the next few months that’s what he did. With time, the knee was feeling more comfortable and light jogging brought no adverse reaction. Maybe he could get back in pads, maybe he could help the team on the field.
Eventually he got a date for his surgery. He would undergo an “arthroscopy chondroplasty and micro fracture trochlea”, that’s some heavy-duty knee surgery! With the operation due in a couple of weeks, he told his coaches he had nothing to lose, the knee was feeling better and he wanted to play. They trusted his judgement and he suited up for a game against Coventry, he got a few reps on rotation and things looked a little more positive. The next week he played again, this time against a tough Lancashire Wolverines outfit. He was getting more reps when part way through the game he felt a searing pain in his left quad, he had to leave the game.
Perhaps The Enforced Lack Of Conditioning Gym Work Had Taken Its Toll, Perhaps He Was Just Unlucky, Either Way, His Playing Season Was Now Definitely Over.
July 12 the surgeons did their work on the knee. The diagnosis on the quad was a muscle tear. July 13 he started his journey on the long road back through Re-hab City. For some people this would have signalled the end of a playing career, but not for Eman. He’s determined to come back stronger, as an integral part of a National Champion team. He will have a whole off-season to heal his injuries, and we’ll be watching his progress with interest. “This has been a big set-back, but it’s only making me more determined, my aim is to be back on the field for the 2017 season”. We’ll also be checking in with him as he completes his re-hab programme, giving you regular updates. #31coming back strong.