An Open Letter to Shawne Merriman

Dear Mr. Merriman,
I understand that you're experiencing some injury issues this year and that you might miss some playing time. A lot of playing time. You have two ligament tears (in the PCL and LCL), yet you still are dead-set on playing this season. You've even flown to Miami today to get a fourth opinion on your knee because everyone else has been telling you that you will need to miss the season if you go for the full repair of your knee this season. In the words of Gilbert Godfrey, "You fool!"

I know that you love to play football and the idea of completely missing the 2008 season is heartbreaking for you. But if you try to come back with your knee not totally healed you're almost guaranteeing yourself a career-ending injury. Even Tiger Woods, a golfer, is taking the rest of 2008 off after jacking up his knee in his US Open win. No one is more competitive than Tiger, and if Tiger's giving up golfing to get his knee right, then maybe you should question your single mindedness towards playing in 2008. I mean, Tiger isn't going to have 300-pound linemen ready to put a helmet on his kneecap. You will.

You need to consider what's more important, playing in 2008 on what will probably be a great Chargers team, or playing for another 10 years on what will probably still be a really good Chargers team (at least in the near future). The choice is yours: potential Super Bowl ring or a bust in Canton? Because if your season ends this year, you will not have the longevity to reach the Hall of Fame.

Best Regards,
Jeff Lorow

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