Have you ever been watching a game on television or in person and it seems like the trainer sprints out every other play to treat some “injury”? So many times I’ll be watching a football game and see players writhing in pain from what turns out to be a cramp or muscle spasm.  Are you kidding me? These guys lie motionless on the field waiting for medical attention, only to get an arm massage and be back on the field a play later.  This article is not about those athletes. These are the real men, the guys who suffered injuries so gruesome that the weak of stomach shouldn’t watch the video links.

7. Tyrone Prothro, WR Alabama
Many of you know his name from “The Catch” he made in 2006 that won the ESPY award for Best Play.  He caught the ball behind the head of a Southern Miss defender as the first half expired on a Hail Mary.  Weeks later he suffered perhaps a career-ending injury when he fractured both bones (tibia and fibia) in his lower left leg.  He has been in rehabilitation ever since and was forced to sit out his entire junior season. Nick Saban is hoping he’ll be back in 2007.

6. Barbaro, Thoroughbred, Kentucky Derby Winner
A captivating story.  He won the 2006 Kentucky Derby in decisive fashion by six and a half lengths.  Barbaro was undefeated going into Churchill Downs and had the largest margin of victory at the Derby since 1946.  That being said, he was a lock for the Preakness Stakes right?  Wrong.  Things got off to a rocky start at the gates as Barbaro committed a false start when he crashed through the starting gate.  He got off to a great re-start, but disaster struck shortly thereafter.  The horse broke his right hind leg in three places and the foot was left clinging to some scraps.  It was a long shot for the horse to survive as he was euthanized in late January, mercifully ending months and months of over-coverage by ESPN.

5. Psycho Sid, Professional Wrestler WCW
Most casual wrestling fans have seen this video plenty of times.  Each time it becomes more gruesome and devastating to watch.  Psycho Sid, Sid Justice, Sid Vicious, and Sid Eudy are all the same wrestler.  He floated around both WWE and WCW for awhile until his final run for WCW in 2001.  It was at a WCW pay-per view event, in a match against Scott Steiner, that Sid made it onto this list.  Urged by WCW officials, Sid reluctantly attempted a top rope maneuver.  Standing at 6’9”, you can imagine that it didn’t have a positive outcome for the big man.  He fractured his leg in half in the ring, with one of the bones breaking through the skin.  Yuck.

4. Joe Theismann, QB Washington Redskins
We all know where the onetime star QB at Notre Dame wound up, ruining Sunday and Monday nights in the NFL.  But maybe he wouldn’t have ended up in the broadcast booth without the career-ending injury suffered at the hands of Lawrence Taylor.  On Monday Night Football in 1985, Theismann ran a flea-flicker that only fooled the fans in the seats, and Taylor sacked the QB into linebacker Harry Carson.  Taylor accidentally landed on Theissman’s lower right leg fracturing both the tibia and fibula.  The damage was only clear to players until a reverse angle replay showed the breaks.  One of the NFL’s most gruesome.

3. Willis McGahee, RB Miami
It was at the 2003 Fiesta Bowl for the National Championship.  McGahee was running downfield when Will Allen drove his forearm into McGahee’s knee causing it to bend backwards.  It’s hard to believe how strongly McGahee has returned from this gruesome injury.

2. Evander Holyfield, Boxer
A psychotic Mike Tyson is the cause for this ridiculous injury.  It was June 28th 1997, the second time these two fought each other, with Holyfield having won the first.  A lot was made going into the fight as the two camps loved to hate each other.  Holyfield dominated the first two rounds against the smaller Tyson.  A cut was busted open above Tyson’s eye in the second round, perhaps due to a head butt from the champ.  In the third round, Tyson came out with no mouth piece and was sent back to retrieve it.  A minute or so later, Tyson wrapped up Holyfield and took a small nibble of his right ear.  Referee Mills Lane deducted two points from Tyson but allowed the fight to continue, unfortunately for Holyfield. With 22 seconds left in Round 3, Tyson bit off a large chunk of Holyfield’s left ear. The rest is history and so was Mike Tyson’s boxing license.

1. Shaun Livingston, PG LA Clippers
This grabs the number one spot only because of how recent and memorable it is.  It is a sad story to say the least as Livingston was supposed to the next great player from Illinois.  In a game against the Charlotte Bobcats on Feb. 27th, Livingston went up for a layup and landed awkwardly, dislocating his left knee cap.  Livingston tore his ACL, PCL, and MCL, and the year-long rehab might cost him the entire 2007-2008 season.

Honorable Mention

Jason Kendall, C Pittsburgh Pirates- dislocated ankle in 1999 trying to beat out a bunt down the first base side.

Greg Louganis, Swimmer- slammed his head against the diving board attempting a back flip.  Blood filled the water like a Jaws movie from the 80s.

Steve Moore, C Colorado Avalanche- fractured neck and severe concussion thanks to Todd Bertuzzi.  Moore was a cheap shot artist himself, but he never played again; Moore has since filed a lawsuit against Bertuzzi. 

Eric Lindros, C Philadelphia Flyers- entire Flyer career was plagued by concussions, most memorably the hit Scott Stevens of the Devils laid him out with in the 1999 Eastern Conference Finals.