Eugene Monroe - The Players Tribune

[OnTheWarpath15]

Great read, IMO.

Every single morning when I wake up, before I brush my teeth or even sit up, I feel pain.

Intense pain at times — in my neck, my back, all of my joints and particularly in my left knee and shoulder, which were surgically reconstructed during my career.

A year ago, I retired from football, but the effects of playing this game will likely never leave me. Managing my physical condition has become part of my daily routine, and unfortunately, it may be this way forever.

I didn’t come into the NFL ignorant about the risks I was taking on. My rookie year, I played alongside Tra Thomas, a guy I’ll always be grateful to for taking me under his wing. One thing that really stuck with me, though, even back then, was the way he walked. Tra had been in the league for 10 seasons at that point and every day I saw him hobble around the locker room in pain. That’s when I had a better idea of what was in store for me down the line.

Now, all these years later, I look back on all the injuries I suffered and I wonder how they piled up to result in the pain I feel now....

The rest can be read here:

https://theplayerstribune.com/eugene...ody-remembers/