It is difficult finding someone with anything bad to say about Norman Hand, a standout defensive tackle at Itawamba Community College, the University of Mississippi and then five teams in the NFL. Hand died last week at age 37 after collapsing last week in his home. Heart disease was the cause and Hand suffered from hypertension. Hand was a good player and even better person, winning the New Orleans Saints' "Man of the Year" in 2002 for his volunteer work with the New Orleans Children's Hospital.
One item that stood out in an obituary I read is that Hand was a standout baseball player, in addition to football, while in high school in South Carolina and was an honorable mention high school All America choice as a tight end and defensive lineman. He even caught 25 passes as a junior for an impressive 526 yards. So while in his teens Hand, presumably, was not the 300+-pound man we remember from his days in the NFL. At what point did someone decide that he could add extra weight without sacrificing too much in terms of dexterity and speed? Did someone determine that Hand's massive frame could add the weight easily enough, or was it difficult for Hand to lose weight thus making him outgrow a position like tight end?
The question is an important one because Hand's excess weight certainly was a factor in his premature death. I have no idea if he was on medication for his high blood pressure and, if so, if he took it, but I do know that weighing well over 300 pounds is bad for anyone's health let alone someone with his medical history.
Which brings us back to the role of major college football and the NFL in protecting the future health of their athletes. When was Hand's hypertension discovered? Hand's role in the NFL was that of space eater and a strict regimen to lose weight to benefit his health would have countered the desire of his pro teams for Hand to be as big as possible to take up as much room as possible. While teaming with Grady Jackson as a potent interior defensive line tandem for the Saints 10 years ago, Hand and his mates were nicknamed "The Heavy Lunch Bunch."
At some point we need to discuss why it is okay for high school, college and professional teams to bulk players up beyond what is healthy. Right now the health focus for ex-players is dominated by concussions and the role they play in early onset of dementia and other nasty side effects. While that is understandable, we seem to be behind in preventing the shortening of life expectancy for the larger men in the sport, who are encouraged to gain excess weight through drug use or "heavy lunches." Unlike concussions, which have been an unfortunate part of the sport since its infancy, bulking up players to well over 300 lbs is a relatively recent phenomena. Joe Greene may have been mean, but he was not fat and weighed at least 60 lbs less than Hand despite being only 3 inches shorter. The same is true for Randy White, another standout defensive tackle from a generation prior to Hand's.
Where will it end? Being that the problem belongs to linemen, no one cares too much. The NFL began worrying about concussions for two reasons: lawsuits and the loss of superstar quarterbacks. Without franchise pocketbooks being hit by Norman Hand's premature death, the trend will continue. And, of course, the players involved bear a great deal of resposibility for their own size. But as long as football continues to create an environment whereby carrying excess and unhealthy weight is an advantage for certain positions they are culpable in this sad situation and we will see more and more retired players dying young.
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