Tyrone Prothro Is Still A Beast!!!

I remember it like it was yesterday...  In September of 2005, I took my baby sister to Bryant Denny Stadium for the first time ever.  It was before I was blessed to have season tickets so an opponent like Southern Miss enabled a struggling early twenty-something gal to afford tickets for me & my baby girl!  I never dreamed it would be one of the top 5 games I'd ever attend at The Capstone.

Tyrone Prothro was the player who started my love affair with #4.  He was the type player I'd have watched no matter what jersey he wore.  The fact that he wore Crimson made it so much sweeter, though.  On that perfect Saturday in September, I was blessed to watch what would be later awarded "Play of the Year" at ESPN's ESPY Awards.  While trailing Southern Miss (something not uncommon under the Shula regime), Prothro showed off his acrobatic moves when he caught a pass over the head & on the back of a Southern Miss defender.  It was epic...  It changed the momentum & The Tide ultimately won the game but more importantly, another Crimson Tide legend was born that day.

A month later, I was cheering on my Tide from the comfort of my living room when it happened.  While my sister & cousin turned their heads wincing at the sight, I remember hitting my knees.

Even though we were absolutely thrashing the Florida Gators, Shula made the Shulaesque decision to leave our star player in the game. Prothro's football career would end that day when he suffered a complete fracture of both his tibia & fibula.  It was brutal.  It was one of those moments where you just knew you'd never get to see him play football again.  And we were right.

Yesterday, Prothro took the stand in the O'Bannon trial.  He discussed the football mentality during his time on the team detailing 40 hour practice weeks & a football before class atmosphere.  He also revealed that he still owed over $10,000 in student loans not covered by his scholarship.  And after a poor coaching decision took away any hope of a future in the NFL, Prothro wrote a book.  While on the stand, he told how he had gone to the university to request photos for his story only to be told they'd cost him $10 each.  There's something so fundamentally wrong about charging a man who sacrificed his health & his future for a win to be charged for his own damn photos!

Prothro's testimony yesterday personified everything wrong with the current system.  While affording some a chance to play at the next level, others dreams can be crushed in an instant.  While Shula was making a fortune off this university even after his atrocious head coaching career had ended, Prothro was working as a bank teller trying to pay off his debts...

Prothro's heart-wrenching story alone shows that change is desperately needed. The system is broken & we should be demanding change!  Yesterday, Prothro reminded me that he's not just the on the field hero I used to love to watch.  Tyrone Prothro is still a hero today....

Roll Tide!!!  Roll Prothro!!!