Tyler Wooley
Staff Writer
I enjoy going to the football games on Saturdays and cheering for our Trojans until my voice is all but gone.
The atmosphere in the stadium reminds me of the ocean: a reserved intensity.
The players are in the middle of the field, so the opponent is not likely to score. Then all of a sudden the game stops; one of our Trojans is hurt.
The stands fall silent as the trainers rush to his side. Everyone waits in anticipation to know whether the player is OK.
Then I see something I have noticed multiple times. The players and coaches treat this like a timeout, carry about their business and talk amongst themselves.
I see this way too often, both at Troy games and on television.
I remember playing sports when I was younger. My coaches wanted to instill in us a respect for the game and the players. When someone got hurt, whether he or she was on our team or the opposing team, we took a knee.
No matter where we were or what we were doing, we were expected to kneel down and to show respect to the injured player.
It should be a tragedy for both teams if a player gets hurt. Yes, he or she is your opponent, but he or she is a fellow player and ultimately a fellow person.
The chance of winning should never be more important than a player’s health.
I did, however, notice one of our Trojans immediately drop to his knee, and I commend him for that.
No. 3, LaMarcus Farmer, is the only player I could see on his knee. He stayed like this until the injured player was taken care of and game play was about to resume.
I want to let Farmer know that his actions have not gone unnoticed, and he should be proud of himself and what he did.
I also want to challenge all of the Troy sports teams to stop whenever a player is hurt and take a knee.
Show everyone you play that you respect them and the fact that they play the same sport you do.
It does not matter if the players on the other team are disrespectful; what you do should not depend on what they are doing.
You represent Troy University and the rest of the student body. Represent us well.
