Skateboarding is a dangerous sport. Actually, sports are dangerous sports, but skateboarding is especially dangerous. About 11 million people self-report enjoying skating on a regular basis, and many of those skaters are constantly at risk of serious bodily injury.
The skater mentality, however, doesn’t let the fear of a broken bone, a twisted ankle, or even bunion deformities (of which up to one-third of American adults currently have), stop them from enjoying the sport.
“I have to skate,” said Derrick O’Neal, an avid skater. “I don’t care what the consequences are.”
Because of not only the difficulty involved, but the risk of almost constant intense pain, skating certainly isn’t for everyone.
Another perhaps even more dangerous sport, however, is tackle football. And although professional football player Sam Martin or the Detroit Lions isn’t nearly as passionate about skating as O’Neal and the millions of other skaters across the country, Martin still gets people assuming he’s doing all sorts of reckless tricks on a board whenever he injuries his foot or ankle.
“It wasn’t me being an idiot, it wasn’t me being stupid,” said Martin, who missed the first six games of the season due to an off the field injury. “It had nothing to do with cliff diving, chasing [my dog], or skateboarding.”
Martin has been in the NFL for four years and was hoping to help the Detroit Lions win their first playoff game since 1991. Unfortunately, despite coming off the best season of his career last year in 2016.
Martin injured himself, somehow, during the off-season prior to this year’s NFL season. Now, after three months of waiting and battling strange injury rumors, he’s ready to get back out on the field and fight for a playoff spot.
“I’m real excited,” Martin added. “I’ve been itching, I’ve been antsy and I just can’t wait to get back out there. It’s that simple.”
The Detroit Free Press reports that Martin wasn’t only focusing on his healing during his time off, but instead was focused on raising money and gathering supplies for Hurricane Harvey victims through his very own charity, for the Michigan Humane Society.
The 27-year-old punter was visibly upset with the media when going over the various rumors associated with his injury, even though it was brought to his attention that no major news outlets reported any such claim.
“It was not skateboarding,” he said. “I read them all. I read all the stories, guys, and you were about zero and 10. You don’t fabricate, but you read about it, didn’t you? I’m not saying it was any of you guys, whoever, whatever. Stories catch fire because of the media.”
Detroit currently sits at 3 and 4 on the season and Martin was able to punt three times in his first game back, averaging 39.7 yards per kick, with a long of 55 yards, and landing one inside the 20 yard line. The Lions are third in the competitive NFC North.
“I’m healthy,” he added. “That’s all that matters now.”
