Last season, New England Patriot’s Linebacker Tedy Bruschi was activated, and started his season, in late October He was sidelined indefinitely, and some thought permanently, by a stroke he had suffered in February. He finished the season with 60 tackles and 2 sacks, fairly average numbers for him. In early January, Bruschi was awarded the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year award, (shared with Steve Smith). By giving the Comeback Player of the Year award to Bruschi, the Associated Press has now set a precedent, taking an honor normally reserved for the player that comes back from a disappointing season (either by injury or by low quality play) to shine in his next season, and defining it as the player that plays at an average level after suffering a serious injury. 
Now of course, you Seahawks fans can see where I’m headed with this.
Last season, after defeating the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football, Ken Hamlin made the questionable decision to celebrate in the notoriously dangerous Larry’s Nightclub, in the equally dangerous Pioneer’s Square area of downtown Seattle. While the details surrounding the events are fuzzy, the final result is not. Hamlin was hit in the head with a magnetic street sign. He was sent to the hospital in critical condition with a fractured skull, a blood clot, and bruising of the brain. He remained in ICU for 3 days, and until recently, had not stepped on a football field since. He has started training, and doctors have released him to play this coming season for the Seahawks.
Many will argue that the injury to Hamlin was his own fault. Many will argue that Eagles DE Jerome McDougal might deserve the award just as much for being shot in the stomach. But in my mind, barring a statistical setback, if Ken Hamlin steps on the football field after suffering a fractured skull and brain damage, the choice for the Comeback Player of the Year award is obvious.
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