FROM TOUCHDOWNS TO WHEELCHAIRS: WHY EARL CAMPBELL CAN'T WALK

These are the "before and after" photos of a gridiron legend. When I was growing up Earl Campbell was the toast of the game of football. Houston's number 34, nicknamed the Tyler Rose, was the best player in football and there was nothing in America that he could not have. I was heartbroken to read about Earl's post-career medical condition. Earl recently had major back surgery to try and repair, what a thousand and one football head and body shots left shattered. Earl's surgeon had to remove dozens of screws and bolts from his back, the result of a lifetime of being patched up and sent out on the field. He was also the subject of controversy when ex-players went to Washington to express their discontent about the lack of medical insurance that ex-players recieve from the league. Earl Campbell cannot walk. In a recent appearance it took him a full six minutes to cover 40 yards using his walker. Once his walker tires him out, he uses his wheelchair. He also suffers from what is medically termed "panic disorder" and mental imbalance.

In a recent interview Earl told reporters that he can't bear to watch the game of football on television. He claimed that he felt like a war veteran who does not like to be reminded of the hostile environment that ultimately crippled him. Earl's story should be made into a documentary and shown to all athletes as an example of how the applause don't laugh forever and in the end all you have is God, health, strength and family. While he was running touchdowns for the NFL he was a cash cow. Now that his ball carrying days are over he can't find "the league" in the daytime with a flashlight.