While I was trying to locate a former Oakland Raider for an interview, another senior football player walked several feet near me. A man whom I was talking to and receiving directions from said, "Watch out, lady, because he is mean and he may hurt you. Don't get close to him."
I looked over at the man who was talking to me, and asked, "Who is he?" He answered me but I prefer to keep his name private. I will tell you that the man was a great football player who got injured early in his career. His father was a coach and two of his brothers were outstanding athletes.
The man, though a senior citizen, walked with a bit of a swagger, carrying a bag which may have contained all of his belongings. He was arguing with himself. I guess he had the blues.
Next, I asked the man, called Charlie, how the former Oakland Raider was doing these days. He said that in the past two weeks, he had looked depressed, also adding that the former Raider gets along very well with the other senior football player, who at that time was sitting on a bench at a car wash about 30 feet from us.
Then I wondered to myself: do former Oakland Raiders get the blues and get depressed that their football days are over? Do they regret that their careers have been interrupted, ruptured by trouble, and burdened with injuries from their playing days?
All I can do is wonder. Certainly, there ought to be someone out there who can answer these questions and help these senior players.
Charlie then walked a few feet ahead of me and pointed to a narrow bench. He claimed that a former Oakland Raider sometimes rests on a certain bench at that same car wash. He added that the owner of the car wash, which has since closed down after one of the hurricanes, does not mind that a few of those guys hang out on the property.
He continued with his ...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Oakland Raiders