SAN DIEGO _ Sometimes, it's not obvious _ the pain of playing in the NFL for those who hurl themselves into the breach in a series of human car crashes over and over and over again.
The toll of it all, regardless of paycheck, wreaks health-related havoc.
Rich Ohrnberger rewinds to an October night in 2014 as the Chargers played the Broncos at Mile High Stadium. A herniated disc in his back short-circuited his system in front of 76,907, causing the center to lose control of his own body.
"I had this momentary paralysis down my right leg," Ohrnberger said Tuesday. "I couldn't feel my leg from the waist down. It was scary. I would be chasing down a linebacker to block him, then all of a sudden the nerve would blank out and I'd tumble to the ground. It looked like I tripped, but it knocked me down.
"That's a game I probably should have tapped out of."
Does Ohrnberger understand how Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, at 29, could walk away from the game, leave millions of dollars on the table and stun a fan base and sport?
Go to a Twitter thread Ohrnberger posted beginning at 11:35 p.m. Sunday, a personal and profound explanation of the realities when uncommon caring and caution-be-damned intersect in the rugged world of the NFL.
