There is no doubting that football is a physical and sometimes dangerous sport. As the concussion debate continues and the cry for better player safety continues to get louder, nothing has been formally done to address the issue. Players continue to come out and say how various tackles have deeply harmed them. San Francisco 49ers' wide receiver Michael Crabtree is the latest player to come out with an injury complaint after claiming temporary blindness after a hit in Super Bowl XLVII.
Crabtree was targeted on the team's last three plays in the Super Bowl in an attempt to get a last minute score. Crabtree said Thursday that he was hit so hard in the face during a third down play that he went blind. The hit was by Baltimore Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith near the goal line.
"When the guy hit me, he hit me all in the face. I'm not tripping. I'm not one to whine about nothing, but he hit me all in the face and I couldn't really see after he hit me," Crabtree told the NFL Network.
Crabtree continued on to say that his sight returned before he took the next snap. The 49ers started with second-and-goal from the 5-yard line on a drive that could have won the game. Three pass plays went to Crabtree and all three were incomplete. The Ravens then got the ball back with less than two minutes left and went on to win the game 34-31.
There were plenty of questionable missed calls during the 49ers' final drive of the Super Bowl. Crabtree said he had no complaints about the non-call on fourth down but he does believe the refs missed a flag on second-down. The wide receiver believes there was too much contract on the second-down play and a hold should have been called.
Crabtree's comments will certainly bring up another player safety debate as well as questions on the missed penalties throughout the Super Bowl. The receiver brought up multiple points about the 49ers' season in the interview, claiming there was tension in the locker room after Colin Kaepernick was named the team's starter over Alex Smith. Crabtree believes that there is no use in complaining at this point but he is upset that he was on the wrong side of history that day.
"Unfortunately, I was on the other end of it. It ain't nothing but motivation to come back next year and do my thing," Crabtree said.
Click here to listen to the Michael Crabtree interview with the NFL Network.
