I Wish I Had Never Seen A Football Analysis

At first when one does something and is good at it, one loves to always do that. Once that something is over one wishes that one never did that something. Neely Crenshaw and Eddie Rake are symbols of lives lived and that are also wrecked with regret. For Neely he wishes he had never picked up a football when he was a child. And for Rake, he wishes that he could take back what he did during halftime of the 1987 championship game and also what he never told his players. Sometimes it takes a very long time for one to recognize when one needs to express something one has been holding back. When one realizes that one cannot change, one regrets forever being in that situation in the first place. When Neely was in high school he never thought that he might regret playing football. He did not regret it until he blew out his knee in a college football game that ended his career forever. Neely finally realized that without football he was nothing. All the respect that people had ever had for him was gone. Once this all set in for him he also came to realize that he had never earned the respect people gave him. If it had not been for Rake and how he made the football program a dynasty, Neely would have never gained that respect. Neely says “I wish I had never seen a football” (Grisham 181). This quote shows that Neely truly believes that if he had not picked up a football as a child, his life would be completely different …show more content…
For example, it took about fifteen years for Neely to figure out his feelings for Coach Rake. However, admitting to regretting something is completely different. For Neely, once he was injured he instantly regretted ever touching a football. Rake on the other hand did not come out about regretting what he did until much later after it had happened. Sometimes things do not seem as bad as they are until they notice how greatly it may have impacted one’s