Not All Saints...

Being a football fanatic sometimes means commenting on more than just the home team....Condolences to Jack Tatum's family one of the Great's to play the game. Tatum who played for the Oakland Raiders was a punishing  safety and one of the NFL's most feared hitters/tacklers. Unfortunately for Tatum he will always be remembered as the guy who paralyzed Darryl Stingley. Stingley a 5-yr veteran wide receiver at the time for the New England Patriots ran a slant route across the middle of the field and as he and Tatum left there feet to go for the ball, a major collision occurred leaving Stingley with severed fourth & fifth vertebrae and paralyzed from the neck down. Stingley went on to lead a productive life working 12 years as a consultant with the Patriots as well as writing a couple books. He never blamed the "game" for anything always having a forward view positive attitude. He died at the age of 55 in 2007.

Tatum, 61 yrs old died of a heart attack. He recently within the last several years had been diagnosed with diabetes and had a leg amputated because of it. Jack Tatum played for 10 years in the NFL before retiring with 37 interceptions and enough vicious hits to be nicknamed the "Assassin". He was not only a part of a dark moment in the NFL, he also was a part of some of the most memorable plays in NFL history...One of which everyone has seen a million plus times on NFL films replays. In a 1972 playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Raiders were leading the game 7-6 with 22 seconds left. With fourth down facing  Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers, Bradsaw threw a pass down the field intended for John "Frenchy" Fuqua. As the ball arrived so did Jack Tatum with one of his signature hits sending the ball careening into the air, only to be scooped up just before hitting the ground by Franco Harris("Immaculate Reception") running in full stride in the direction of the Steeler endzone to complete a 60 yard touchdown play and give the Steelers the "Immaculate Win". Tatum, who never apologized for the way he played said "I play a hard hitting game. I just like receivers to think about me a little bit when they are trying to catch the ball". More than likely because of perceptions of being cold hearted, Tatum  stays on the outside of the NFL Hall of Fame. However, it was the opinion of John Madden that Tatum never got over the hit to Stingley,  " It was something that ate on him for his whole life" said Madden. What a shame that a player like Jack Tatum should be kept out of the Hall based on how other people feel about him. No one can know what really was going on inside Tatum's head except the man himself. We could all use a little forgiveness. Let's hope the Almighty is more forgiving to Tatum than the rest of us.God bless you, Jack Tatum.