Brendan I. Koerner Quotes

But the equipment to protect the players hasn't developed along with that, so now you have more players out with worse injuries, for longer periods of time.

Injuries obviously change the way you approach the game.

Athletes at all ages are bigger and stronger than ever before. And they are being encouraged - sometimes even incentivized, as we recently learned was the case on at least one National Football League team - to play to injure.

You're never going to go through a season with no injuries.

I've been through every surgery that any athlete has ever been through, and I've prevailed through it.

Injuries are a part and parcel of a player's career.

Sometimes, it's just unfortunate you get injured in the game. But you can definitely take strides to prevent those things.

I've dealt with a lot of injuries over the years, and you just learn about pain management and how to keep yourself in the best shape to play on Sunday, and then playing with pain.

Coping with injuries is always difficult for athletes because all we want to do is, basically, to have our best performances unhindered.

Truth is, none of us professional athletes are ever 100 percent healthy. We just decide what we're going to tape up and push through without making it worse.

Injuries are a part of the game. Every athlete knows that.

Look at rugby, the national sport, you have guys weighing 130kg, 140kg, who can run like sprinters full clip into each other causing brain damage constantly on that field.

I got traded in the middle of an injury - my ankle injury - so in '09, I came back and just kind of flukishly had some success. I was far, far from healthy. I came back in 2010 still nursing that ankle injury. Yeah, it was a rough, rough go. My first few years in Chicago were not much fun.

I've been through seasons where I've not played a lot of games, and its been difficult due to injuries and stuff like that.

Most of the players can get injured, small ones and big ones. But when you get the small ones, you have to fight against them and play, play, play.

It's football. Guys get hurt all the time.

I'd heard other players talking about dark times when they were trying to get back from bad injuries.

All players go through injuries in their career, but I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

Growing up wrestling, you get injured, and they expect you back on the mat in a couple weeks unless it's really bad.

Every football player has their own journey and unfortunately my injuries were out of my hands. There wasn't much I could have done about that except rehab to the best of my ability which I did.

As a manager, you always want as many players available as possible, but injuries are a part of football, as it is a contact sport.

I've had a lot of injuries.

Every time I sprinted 100 per cent, my hamstring broke. But I knew if I didn't sprint 100 per cent, I could keep on playing, so that's what you do. I was just lucky it was discovered in America and I haven't had one problem since. I feel I can run past people again and that feels nice.

That's football. It's going to happen. Guys are going to get hurt.

I'd hate to see the game I love go away because it is considered too dangerous and parents are scared to allow their kids to play.