Bob Cousy Quotes

I think I had a positive development at Chelsea. I was very young when I arrived, only 20, and the problem I had was injuries.

I've played with IVs before, during and after games. I've played with a broken hand, a sprained ankle, a torn shoulder, a fractured tooth, a severed lip, and a knee the size of a softball. I don't miss 15 games because of a toe injury that everybody knows wasn't that serious in the first place.

Sport was an integral part of school life. The most influential teachers were not necessarily the PE teachers, but the teachers who helped me in sport because they had an understanding of what you were going through.

I understand that when a player reaches his mid-thirties, and has a few injuries, people start to question how long he can last.

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.

Obviously we've got a lot of science behind football these days and we've got a lot of people that can advise us on how best to look after our bodies.

I loved football. I'm so glad I played. But I didn't think it was wise for me to play longer.

People think I'm soft and bailed out on basketball. But it was five knee surgeries.

It's frustrating when you want to play but can't. I didn't touch a racket for three weeks and when I started playing again last week, I still felt some pain in my wrist.

The operations were big ones, so I knew it'd take a lot of hard work. It's hard, you know? You're in the gym for hours on end doing strengthening exercises, and that's just so you are able to start running again. You can't even think about getting on the pitch to start with.

I wanted to give back to football what it's given me. So, I decided, 'I'm going to be a coach.'

It's impossible for one player to play the whole year. I've learnt that myself, and you're always bound to get injuries.

Playing sports is a craft that has to be worked on and perfected just like anything else.

It's always good to hear when players aren't out for as long as you thought they would.

I still play a bit of tennis, but only a knockabout to help with my recovery after a game.

I never thought of a career in athletics.

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

We're professional athletes. I feel like I got treated better in college wrestling. I had a physical therapist on hand at all times, no matter what, when I was in college.

I've always said I didn't want to coach. But I can't coach in college because I don't have my degree. So I want to give myself opportunities. A degree is something everyone should have.

It's not like I can't play football with some injuries.

I've been very fortunate with injuries: I've had the odd broken bone in my back; when I was starting out here in England, I cracked a few ribs, and I've broken a bone in my hand.

I was drafted by the New Orleans Saints and was tired of dealing with injuries. I just got tired of playing football, if you want to know the truth, and I was sitting on the floor at my father in-law's house and started to watch pro wrestling. I've watched it for a little bit before, so I thought to myself, 'You know what? I can do that!'

I thought it was a little ankle sprain, but it was a little more than that. The road to recovery was tough, but I knew that I had to fight. I couldn't be disappointed, I couldn't be sad, I just had to get up and keep the smile on my face and get back. In the sport I play, injuries are part of it.

Three years under Saban changed me. He's the best coach in the world at what he does.