No, if you read it, he’s just saying that RGIII did what would be expected of a 22-year-old raised on the NFL mythology of injured players grinding out epic victories and would’ve played even if one of his legs had been sawed off cleanly at the knee. The blame squarely lies on the 60-year-old coach who should’ve known better, and taken him out whether the QB wanted to go out or not.
My second Senior Drill Instructor (the first was canned when the Series SgtMaj caught us playing “Bats”, i.e. hanging by our toes from the top rung of our racks [bunks]) at Parris Island, GySgt Truell, once told us that IF we HAD to run somewhere, if our lives or someone else’s life depended on it, then we should never stop running. We might have to slow to a mamasan shuffle, but we should never stop running.
Except for two reasons:
1) Your heart stops beating.
2) Someone blows your legs off.
Gunny Truell would approve of RGIII.
And yes, the coach is paid to make the tough decision to pull an injured player out of the game.
You’re right, it’s a mind-set that male athletes grow up with. I remember hearing from my husband, when I sprained my ankle (with other complications), about how he always just went over to the sidelines and had the trainer tape up his ankle and send him back into the game. He always claimed the best way to get over an injury was to work through the pain.
Right. I hope that he wouldn’t say that now, but I wouldn’t bet on it.