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Antwaan Randle El, former Steelers star, says he regrets playing football

By Patrick Morgan

Dec 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; A Pittsburgh Steelers helmet sits on a sideline trunk during the game against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; A Pittsburgh Steelers helmet sits on a sideline trunk during the game against the Denver Broncos in the second quarter at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 34-27. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Antwaan Randle El, who won a Super Bowl with the Pittsburgh Steelers, says if he could go back in time he never would have played football.

NFL football fans probably best remember Antwaan Randle El as the catalyst for the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ dramatic Super Bowl XL victory. A former college quarterback, the Steelers wideout caught the Seattle Seahawks defense by surprise when he completed a touchdown pass to Hines Ward on a trick play.

Unfortunately for Randle El, he might not remember that highlight as well as fans do.

Citing persistent memory issues and nagging physical pain throughout his legs and body, the retired NFL player was blunt in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, going so far as to say “If I could go back, I wouldn’t” play football at all.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the game of football,” Randle El told the Post-Gazette. “But right now, I could still be playing baseball.” He was a 14th-round pick by the Chicago Cubs back in 1997, but chose to enter the NFL instead.

“I ask my wife things over and over again, and she’s like, ‘I just told you that,’” Randle El went on. “I’ll ask her three times the night before and get up in the morning and forget. Stuff like that. I try to chalk it up as I’m busy, I’m doing a lot, but I have to be on my knees praying about it, asking God to allow me to not have these issues and live a long life. I want to see my kids raised up. I want to see my grandkids.”

It’s another frightening example of the health issues associated with playing professional football, an emerging topic of discussion with the controversy surrounding concussions and the passings of NFL greats like Frank Gifford and Junior Seau.

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