So, we as a station have decided, as a unit…we are going to deliver you a TOP 5 FRIDAY every Friday or for as long as me, Bianchi, and Daniels are motivated to do so…different topic each week, probably something relevant to what is currently going on in the world of sports or the world in general. This week’s topic, injuries. Specifically, injuries that have derailed franchises in sports.
This coming on the heels of the Jonathan Isaac injury from last Sunday. Hopefully not a franchise derailing one, but it is possible. Here’s my list, see you on the air @ 3pm to discuss it!
Top 5:
5…Daunte Culpepper Miami Dolphins, signed in 2006. Never could quite recover from the knee injury that plagued him, and the Dolphins spent the next 14 years trying to right their wrongs…all the while starting QB’s like Matt Moore, Joey Harrington, and AJ Feely.
4…Kerry Wood, Cubs. Made his debut in 1998 at the age of 21 and was a phenom from the outset. The Cubs had high hopes for him as a long time Cub great, and perhaps someone who could help lift the dreaded curse. But, after Tommy John surgeries and a torn tricep, he was just never the same again and eventually flamed out as part of their bullpen, never quite reaching that legendary status they thought was a sure thing.
3…Penny Hardaway, Magic. It was bad enough that Shaq left town, but at least the Magic still had an All-Star that the fan base loved. Penny + a future superstar could’ve been a winning combination, but we never got to see that play out. In the 97-98 season he would suffer a devastating knee injury and was never quite the same again. Eventually he was traded to Phoenix and that was the end of that era.
2…Stone Cold Steve Austin, WWE. Oh sure, he’s a wrestler, but hear me out. Stone Cold was the hottest sports entertainer on the planet, he brought the WWE to heights it had never seen before, but, nagging injuries to his neck and spinal cord would shorten the length of his career. Put this into perspective, the Undertaker’s prime years in wrestling lasted from 1991 to 2016. That’s 25 years. Austin’s prime in the ring lasted from 1996 to 2003. 7 years. Imagine what could’ve been.
1…Derrick Rose, Bulls. It takes quite the star to rebound from the hangover of the Michael Jordan era, and D-Rose was that star. Just 3 years into his career he was named MVP (2011) and looked to be the 2nd most popular young player in the league behind only LeBron James. In 2012, he was the 2nd leading vote gettor in the All-Star game behind only Dwight. But it was that year that he would suffer a torn ACL, and after that it was just knee issue after knee issue and the Rise of Rose in Chicago never truly came to fruition. I think they are still trying to recover from it.