It was the single hardest thing that my wife Sheryl and I had to experience in all of the years that our son Bradley has played tackle football. A few years ago, he was experiencing some discomfort in his wrist but was able to make it through the game that week. In fact, because the team was shorthanded, not only did Bradley play center but he also filled in on the defensive line in a game that was played in a monsoon.

His team came up with a blowout win that day, but on his mind was an upcoming visit to the orthopedist to take a look at his wrist. As it turns out, it was recommended that he sat out because of the injury. When the doctor gave him the news, he didn’t take it very well. Prior to this injury, he had never missed a game for any reason. So, not being able to play for a few weeks was just devastating.

Having said that, Bradley was injured but he was still part of the team. It was up to Sheryl and me to convince him that he still needed to be around the team and to do what he could to help his teammates.

On the way home from the doctor, we stopped at the coach’s house so that Bradley could share the news with him, and it was understandably a pretty emotional conversation. The coach made it clear to Bradley that he was still part of the team and picked his brain to see who he thought should fill in for him at center.

After Bradley calmed down a bit over the next couple of days, he went to practice and went through whatever he was physically able to do. That included the pre-practice jog around the field and also meeting with the offense as they went through the drills. He also took time to work with the young man who was going to fill for him at center and also talked it up with his other teammates showing leadership even though he wasn’t going to be able to play.

That week, the coach picked Bradley as one of the captains for the pre-game coin toss and he was proud to walk to midfield with some of his teammates while also wearing his game jersey.

As the center, Bradley generally held onto his team’s football while the defense was on the field, but because his replacement also played defense, that was still a job that Bradley could do while he couldn’t play.  If I remember correctly, Bradley even ran some water bottles out to some of his teammates during timeouts.

Sheryl and I, along with our younger son Jared still came to the games even though Bradley wasn’t playing. I was the PA announcer for the team’s home games so I wasn’t about to not do the game because Bradley wasn’t playing. We attended the games because we were a football family and were there to cheer on the team. 

When a child can’t play because of injury, it’s a tough pill to swallow but there are still ways to be involved.  It may take a day or two for everything to sink in, but it’s important for a child to remain a part of the team. There are still lessons that can be learned from watching the games. It also shows that your child is passionate about the sport to still find a way to be involved.

Peter is a sports anchor for the CBS Sports Radio Network and WFAN Radio in New York.  His son Bradley is entering his first year of high school football and is a participant in the U.S. National Team program while his younger son Jared plays flag football.   Peter, his wife Sheryl and the boys are busy cheering on the New York Jets when they’re not at a youth football field.