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There is truly very few things in life worse then seeing God given talent and potential greatness be washed away due to injuries and tragedy. It's the worse. From Orr to Theismann to Sharpe- we have seen careers be derailed due to injuries. I shall list my top 10 careers lost to tragedy from the 2000's.
Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck was one of the highest scouted prospects ever in the NFL Draft. The Colts drafted him number one overall to be the face of the franchise after officially parting with the great Peyton Manning.
Through his first three seasons in the league Luck was proving to be a homerun for Indy. Making the Pro Bowl in each year and progressing to a elite QB. Luck and Indy had true championship potential.
But in 2015 it started to all fall down for Luck. Luck hurt his right shoulder and had a lacerated kidney that caused him to miss 9 games and started a long journey of mental and physical problems.
Luck wasn't quite the same as he returned to action in 2016. He regressed and showed fear in the game. He finally had surgery on his shoulder in 2017 and that surgery was the beginning of the end of Andrew Luck. Missed the entire 2017 season after several setbacks following the surgery. Mental issues went crazy. Luck even tried working with a "guru" in Europe to snap back to his full potential,
In 2018 under Frank Reich, Luck showed as if finally he was back and that the guru worked. He had a career year in just about every category but yards and toudys. Luck was spectacular, he showed the poise he showed earlier in his career and then some. Luck won Comeback Player of the Year and made the Pro Bowl, allowing us to believe that he was back to full form.
After being banged up a few times in the following preseason and just in overall, Luck dropped a absolute bomb and shockingly retired after one of the Colts preseason games. Stated that he was depleted & the game was no longer fun to him, forcing him to want to retire at only 29 years old. Andrew Luck left a legacy of winning & injuries. 4 out of 6 of his seasons he went to the Pro Bowl. Luck won three playoff games for the Colts, and his teams got better and better as years went. He showed rare arm talent and true precision. If it hadn't been for injuries, Luck quite possibly would have shattered several throwing records and would be a easy lock for Canton. Maybe win a bowl or two and would have been a great opponent for Mahomes and the Chiefs. The current Colts team now would be crazy dangerous with Luck under center. It's a shame injuries derailed such a bright & emerging career.
Nomar Garciaparra
Between 1997 and 2000, Nomar Garciaparra was one of the best all-around baseball players on the planet and was on pace to have a immortal type of Cooperstown career. It all began in his rookie campaign with Boston. Nomar immediately declared himself as one of the game's best middle infield hitters. Rather it was power or consistency, Nomar was a fear for any pitcher and opposing team. Garciaparra led the league in hits with 209 and was the AL Silver Slugger in his rookie season! Powered in 30 homers, batted over .300 & led the league in triples.
Nomar didn't slow down in his sophomore year, hitting a career high 35 bombs, knocking in a career high 122 RBI & coming second in AL MVP voting.
In his third season he first addressed the discomfort in his wrist. Despite the discomfort, Nomar followed his first two seasons by leading the league in batting average with .357 in '99 and .372 in '00. He took the league by storm. Four All Star appearances in four seasons. Having solid defensive play and one of the top bats overall, it looked sure that Nomar was poised for a legendary career,
But unfortunately the pain & discomfort in his wrist grew to be a dagger in the legacy he tried to create. Nomar missed just about the entire 2001 season. When he returned, he returned to All-Star form but not to the highs he did prior. After All-Star seasons in 2002 and 2003, Garciaparra was shipped to the Chicago Cubs and with more wrist issues he never was seen to form again.
Being considered one of the biggest trade bust in Chicago, Garciaparra never played to the level he did in Boston. His stats dropped and so did his legacy talk. If Garciaparra doesn't bust up his wrist in '99 he could have had one of the best statistical batting careers of all-time. Which would have made him a sure lock for Cooperstown without a wait.
Priest Holmes
Priest Holmes was a bad, bad man running a football. He had a two-year span that oddly isn't talked on but is arguably one of the most dominant years of all-time. Dominance I tell you. Larry Johnson got to watch a year of it before taking the torch. Because of injuries, Holmes had one of the shortest prime ever.
Holmes brought power and acceleration to the gridiron, and went craaaazy when he got to Kansas City after 5 odd years in Baltimore. He led the league in rushing in 2001 with 1,555 yards. Rushing champ and All-Pro in his first season with the Chiefs. It was the next two years that were special though.
Holmes put up even more yards (1,615) in year two, but he punched in 21 touchdowns! A league high. Holmes also caught 70 receptions for over 650 yards and 3 touchdowns. Priest just kept getting better. In year three he broke the NFL single season rushing touchdown record with 27 toudys. Record was later broken by Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson.
Priest's 48 touchdowns are the most ever in a two year span. Holmes has the third and sixth highest scoring rushing seasons of all time. 2004 season comes along and then, boom! The injuries hit. Leading the league in scoring and rushing going into week 9 of the season, Holmes has a leg injury and misses the rest of the season. He had 14 touchdowns in eight games. Being 32 and following up a knee surgery you could tell the toll it took on Holmes. Holmes got hurt again during the same time period in '05 due to a helmet to helmet hit. Holmes missed the entire 2006 season with a spine injury and then he retired. If he hadn't hurt his knee he could have surpassed his previous rushing touchdown record. No spine injury and he could have been amongst the very top of career rushing champions. Could have been top five if not a lock for top three. It's a shame he had a late and quick prime.
Penny Hardaway
Anfernee Hardaway is one of the most talented players the basketball universe has ever seen. With a lengthy 6'7" frame at point guard, Hardaway was a immediate present on the court. His Magic Johnson type of passing and electric scoring made him a superstar in the making and a potential top 10 player of all-time.
Hardaway had three straight All-Star Seasons in Orlando. The duo of Penny & Shaq was poised to take over the league. In 1995, the duo led the Magic to a upset over the Chicago Bulls and into the NBA Finals. Unfortunately the Magic got swept, but despite the Finals lost it seemed as if the Magic would be right back there to fight for the title. Hardaway had another stellar season in '96, putting up 21.7 PTS (career high) & averaged over 7 assists a game. Hardaway and Shaq got taken out in the Eastern Conference Finals and it was the beginning to the end of the duo and Hardaway in Orlando.
Shaq signed a mega deal with the Lakers that next summer, leaving Penny a lone star in Orlando. Hardaway had a nasty knee injury in early '97 that would cause his entire career to go downhill.
He rushed back to play in the All-Star game that year, which was a terrible decision. He re-injured the knee and was forced to miss the remainder of the season. Only played 19 games. His comeback year, which was his final with Orlando, was a let down. His play made it obvious his game wasn't the same after having that knee injury. Hardaway regressed & he wasn't as electric as he once had been. After being shipped around the league for many years after and playing role player minutes, Hardaway's legacy slowly dimmed.
If not for injuries. Hardaway had the potential to be one of the greatest NBA plyers of all-time. Nonetheless, he was one of the most talented players the league has ever seen. But his legacy is dimmed greatly and his Hall of Fame light has gone out due to injuries. What a damn shame.
Brandon Roy
Brandon Roy's leg injury is one of the biggest tragedies in sports history. It's a touchy subject to say the least. Roy was progressing to be a dominant NBA scorer for many, many years. He had Blazers fans excited for the first time in some time. His mid-range and all around scoring was beyond elite.
Roy was a All-Star in three consecutive seasons, averaging over 20 points a game in each campaign. I personally loved his game & his ability to create space and knockdown the J. Roy progressed in each year.
Roy first injured his knee in '08, and like Hardaway he played through pain in the All-Star game which worsened the injury and caused Roy to miss more time and it regressed his play on the court. Despite that first bug he came back in the next two seasons and dominated.
Roy injured his knees numerous times after the 2009 season. Roy had six surgeries that caused one of the knees to need cartilage removed. The bone on bone pain was too much for him to continue to play at a elite level. He was retired by 26. Roy attempted a comeback, but it only lasted five games. One of the biggest tragedies in sports history. A career that could have been.
Tracy McGrady
Tracy McGrady was still a great player, but injuries cost him from being a top five player of all-time. For seven years McGrady averaged over 24 points a game, including leading the league twice in 2002 & 2003 with the Magic, Injuries saw those numbers decline in the later part of his career as he missed over 350 games.
McGrady showed flashes of absolute brilliance when it came to scoring the ball. He was flashy, dominant & athletic beyond measure. On each team he was on, when he was playing he would make electric moments. Rather it was early in his career or later on with the Rockets.
Just when you thought it was Tracy Season, he would get hurt. When he returned, he was never the same, at least not consistently. It was unfortunate. He and Kobe should have had epic battles for years. If only.
Robert Griffin III
RGIII had one of the best rookie seasons of all-time in 2012. Of any position. He gave the NFL a Vick type superstar before an injury took that away and paved Lamar Jackson to be that guy (who he backs up).
RGIII's rookie season was crazy. Twitter was always poppin' off to him breaking a long run or evading sacks and throwing on the run, Griffin rushed for yards by a Quarterback (at the time) with 815 yards. Only player in NFL history with four 60+ yard passing touchdowns and a 60+ yard rushing touchdown. He was incredible.
Griffin's game changed the landscape in Washington, leading them to a NFC East title for the first time in over a decade. But in Washington's Wild Card game the incredible story got burned right in front of us. Driving late in the 4th to tie Seattle, RGIII drops back and his ankle turns and ruptures. The injury turned out to be catastrophic to RGIII and his future as a NFL QB.
RGIII had torn his ACL in college that gave scouts fear. The second one in the playoffs made fear a reality. It destroyed his legend. He was never the same. His mobility, speed, throw on the run... about everything was shattered. By his 4th season, he was barely able to play and has since remained a third string or now backup (Baltimore). It's truly sad.
Grant Hill
The Duke legend was incredible in his early NBA days. Grant Hill's days in Detroit were that of a Hall of Famer. But if it wasn't for his injury, he too could have been a top 10 player of all-time.
He was a All-Star in his first four seasons in the league. Hill was voted 3rd in MVP voting in year three. His fifth season was cut short by his first ankle injury. He was able to recover and make another All Star game to set up one of the biggest summer off-season signings of all time.
Hill signed with the Magic to team with Tracy McGrady and the NBA had a instant power duo. Unfortunately due to a devastating leg injury, Hill only played in 57 of 288 potential games in his first four seasons with Orlando. When Hill finally got on the court, he wasn't the same player. Went from a superstar to a bench role player. What a damn shame. Hill was awesome in Detroit. Would have went down as one of the very. very best.
Sean Taylor
This one isn't a injury but it was a tragedy. Damn near one of the worst ever. Redskins rising star safety Sean Taylor was murdered at 24 while he was protecting his family as his home was being burglarized.
Taylor was one of the NFL's most electric, young stars. The Miami U alum brought game changing power to the safety position. Laying the hammer on his prey and dicing up a mean mixtape of hits.
The man who killed Sean took a great father and husband but also a elite player. His mentality was ferocious. He was coming off back to back Pro Bowl seasons before being killed.
Derrick Rose
D-Rose took the league by storm in his very first year. Rose had never before seen explosiveness and hops at the point guard position. He was a human highlight reel.
Rose backed up his Rookie of the Year season with back to back All-Star seasons & won the NBA MVP in 2010. Rose solidified himself as the next face of the NBA. Then halfway through the 2011 season Rose first tore his ACL. A year later he needed right knee surgery and missed the entire 2012 season.
The rest is history. The damage to the knees destroyed the greatness that was Derrick Rose. He was never MVP-Rose again. The explosiveness vanished. It was absolutely awful to witness. He was changing the game. Then lost everything. The cursed and unfortunate.
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