Many of you know that on Thursday, Myles Garrett clocked Mason Rudolph in the head with Rudolph’s own helmet—a disgusting move that got him suspended for at least the rest of the 2019 season. But an equally dirty hit happened 24 hours earlier in a collegiate game—and is apparently slipping under the radar. This can’t happen.
On Wednesday night, Northern Illinois came to Toledo for a late-season Mid-American Conference game. During the third quarter, Huskies quarterback Russ Bowers slipped and fell to the turf. While he was trying to get up, Toledo defensive end Terrance Taylor leveled him from behind with a helmet-to-helmet hit. Watch the hit here.
You can watch a higher-quality version at ESPN.
Taylor was called for targeting, which carries a 15-yard penalty and an automatic ejection. He would have had to miss the first half of the Rockets’ next game against Buffalo on Wednesday. However, on Thursday, Toledo coach Jason Candle announced Taylor would be suspended for the entire game, saying that he intended to use this as a “teaching tool.”
Looking at that video, that suspension is a bad joke. Taylor led with his helmet from behind—with Bowers completely defenseless. For another thing, Taylor took at least three steps before plowing into Bowers—more than enough time to slow down. So you couldn’t plausibly say his momentum carried him into Bowers.
This wasn’t just a “teaching tool.” This was the kind of hit that has no place in football. Given that it was clear that the hit was intentional, Taylor doesn’t ever need to play a down again.
I know, this is harsh. But when I saw this video, I remembered what happened to Ryan Hoffman, a former lineman at my alma mater, Carolina. You may recall that back in 2015, Hoffman was profiled in The New York Times after word got out that he was living on the streets of Lakeland, Florida. He had been unable to hold a steady job since graduating from Carolina in 1998 (two years ahead of me) due to severe cognitive problems. All indications are those problems were due to numerous concussions he suffered in high school and in college.
After his story went national, a sports medicine professor at Carolina helped bring Hoffman back to Chapel Hill for testing. Later that year, however, Hoffman died in an accident, and he was subsequently diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition caused by repeated blows to the head.
We didn’t know it then, but concussions can have life-altering effects. It’s why there was such an outcry when Michigan’s Brady Hoke allowed his backup quarterback to stay in a game despite unmistakable signs that he had a concussion. Hoke should have been fired right then and there, but was allowed to finish the season.
Simply put, we blew a chance to send a message that willful and reckless disregard for player safety is not acceptable. Toledo has a chance to rectify that. Taylor must never be allowed to play another down for the Rockets. Additionally, unless Candle is willing to offer a full apology to Bowers and Northern Illinois, he has to go too. Sign this petition telling Toledo’s president and athletic director to bench Taylor—permanently.