Football is violent. But the brotherhood shown for Damar Hamlin is why we play | RK Russell

We NFL players often will say we are willing to die for this game. But what happens when the price that we insist that we are eager to pay comes up for collection?

There is no question that football is one of the most violent sports in the world and that players, including myself, are aware of the risk we take to play the game that we love. Even at the young age of 30, I talk to my former teammates about my surgeries, broken bones and aches from my time in the NFL, as though my battle scars are medals of honor. The pride comes from achieving my dreams of playing at the highest level and understanding that I survived something few men can fathom.

The fans, the coaches and the executives will keep track of the scoreboard, statistics, wins, losses, championships, fantasy points and countless other factors. But after stepping away from the game, players often count the good days we have from the bad, the day-to-day tasks that we can no longer do versus the ones that we can, and the prescriptions we now depend on to live whole lives. It is a scary truth, one that each player faces before, during and after their career, yet we still pursue this dream to its sometimes bitter end.

RK Russell played three NFL seasons for the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.