The NFL preseason has always been reviled by fans. The games are meaningless and fans feel like they have to waste a lot of money for a product that isn’t anything near what they normally get. For the players, the preseason is even worse. They run the risk of suffering serious injuries in a game that doesn’t count. Over the years, preseason games have ruined the seasons of many NFL players. Here are five of the worst preseason injuries ever.
1995 – Ki Jana Carter
The Cincinnati Bengals took the running back with the top overall pick in the 1995 draft. But his rookie season quickly ended when he tore a ligament on the third carry of his first preseason game. Carter was never the same after his injury. He only had 14 career starts in 59 games. He was average in 1996 and 1997 but slipped into mediocrity after that. His career ended in 2004.
2003 – Michael Vick
Vick had a nice season with the Atlanta Falcons in 2002 and there signs the team might break through even more in 2003. But that quickly turned around when Vick was injured in a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens. His broken fibula would lead him to miss 10 games.
1998 – Jason Sehorn
Sehorn was an elite cornerback in the late 1990s. However, his career essentially ended in a preseason game in 1998. Sehorn tore his ACL on the opening play of a game against the New York Jets. Sehorn’s injury would end his 1998 season. He returned in 1999 but wasn’t the same.
1997 – Chris Spielman
During a 1997 preseason game when he was with the Buffalo Bills, Spielman suffered a serious neck injury that required season ending surgery. He would miss the 1997 and 1998 season. He made a comeback attempted in 1999 but it didn’t work out.
1978 – Darryl Stingley
Stingley was a pretty good wide receiver with the New England Patriots. Sadly, he is probably better remembered for his preseason injury in 1978. After a hit from Jack Tatum of the Oakland Raiders, Stingley’s spinal cord collapsed. He would never play again and would spend the rest of his life as a quadriplegic. The effects of the injury would linger until Stingley’s death in 2007.