T.J. Ford Has a Tough Decision to Make
The last time we saw T.J. Ford in a basketball uniform, he was lying motionless in crumpled heap beneath the basket after absorbing a hard foul from the Hawks’ Al Horford. It was a frightening moment, only amplified by Ford’s history of neck and spinal injuries.
Those images have been dancing in T.J. Ford’s mind as he recovers from the fall and tries to decide what the future holds for him.
“Yeah, it scared me,” he said. “I always said I never wanted that to happen again. I didn’t care whatever else happened, but never that. I put a lot of pride in not having to do that again.
“To put a scare in my family in general. We play so many games and they’re not there. Imagine your mom or your dad seeing that on TV. It’s tough, you know.”
The Toronto Raptors are giving Ford - who has consulted three renowned doctors for opinions on the injury - all of the time that he needs to make a decision regarding his return.
The guy is still very young and could have a long and successful career ahead of him; you almost have to wonder, though, why he would even risk coming back. Who knows if he’ll come out of his next collision unscathed.
38 Responses to “T.J. Ford Has a Tough Decision to Make”
Dec.28 at 12:09 pm
white hot eboy says:
Let it go, T.J. Being able to function normally and do everyday tasks are worth more than any paycheck or basketball accolades that are out there.
Dec.28 at 12:20 pm
Ron says:
Good thing this is the NBA and not the NFL. If he was in the NFL there would be no guaranteed paycheck after this season.
Dec.28 at 12:21 pm
Tarzan Cooper says:
sam mitchell has to tell him to not come back
Dec.28 at 12:22 pm
Jason Mary says:
ya eboys right T.J has too mauch ahead of to just throw it all away your life is more important than basketball
Dec.28 at 12:25 pm
Jared says:
This is why kids should stay in school. What’s TJ gonna do for the rest of his life if he doesnt play ball? He came out after his sophomore year. He’s 24 years old! Where as he’s risking his health by coming back and possibly reinjuring himself, he took the money the first time around, what makes you think he wont do it again? Plus basketball is this guys LIFE. Catch 22.
Dec.28 at 12:42 pm
Gilbert0 says:
I see your point jared but i am fairly sure he could finance the last two years of college if thats what he wanted
Dec.28 at 12:43 pm
Gilbert0 says:
assuming he is allowed to of course, i am not sure how that works
Dec.28 at 12:46 pm
Jared says:
My point isnt necessarily that he should’ve stayed in school, you’re right, he could pay to go back if thats what he wants to do, it was more of a what’s he gonna do if he doesn’t come back to play?
Dec.28 at 12:48 pm
white hot eboy says:
Jared, there are plenty of sports marketing firms, front office positions with teams, scout jobs and things in the sports filed that old or injured athletes have access too due to their careers that other people can’t dip their toes into.
Dec.28 at 12:49 pm
Russ Bengtson says:
Of course he’s allowed to go back to school. His eligibility’s up, that’s all.
Dec.28 at 12:51 pm
Captain America says:
So, what exactly has the “renowned doctors” had to say about his potential return?
Dec.28 at 12:51 pm
TADOne says:
TJ appears to be very well spoken. I think he would do good in broadcasting.
Dec.28 at 12:54 pm
Jared says:
good point eboy, it seems like jay williams is always on tv doing something or other, it’s a damn shame. Two of the best prospective point guards.
Dec.28 at 1:02 pm
Chris O says:
TJ would have had to figure out what he wanted to do after basketball at some point. Sure, he might hang it up 10 years earlier than he wants to, but he’s got a lot of options.
Dec.28 at 3:10 pm
Fancy Pants says:
My fantasy team needs TJ to stop being a coward and get back on the court, I’ve got anthony johnson in for him right now and while he’s had some good games lately, he’s no TJ Ford, I’m gonna need TJ if i want to win the money. You’ll be fine TJ, you speedy little f-cker, get back out there (and get me at least 16-3-9)
Dec.28 at 3:22 pm
Holly MacKenzie says:
It’s so sad. After it happened he was interviewed and he said that since having a son he has realized there is so much more to life than just the game, and while he would return (this was when he was not experiencing any pain, etc), he would never risk injuring himself because he has a son he needs to play with and raise. I think he is struggling with his first love of basketball and the love of his life in his son. It’s never easy to give up your first love, especially when he has so much left. Gah, that makes me sad. And while he is only 24, why is it so bad that he went to the NBA? He got to live his dream, and I don’t think he would ever regret that. He’s young and intelligent, he will figure his life out from here, regardless of whatever decision he chooses to make. Props to the Raptors for being so great to him through all of this. It’s tough on everyone not knowing, but, I wish nothing but the best for TJ.
Dec.28 at 3:23 pm
Holly MacKenzie says:
What I meant was, he said he would never return if the doc’s said there was any increased risk of injuring himself permanently, or if he had any more risk than another player because of his history.
Dec.28 at 3:29 pm
Justin says:
Yes, they sure made Horford walk free, they were even debating if he should have gotten that suspension. Stupid rookie had to take down our veteran who we had to pull strings to get. I don’t see why no one blames Horford, yeah, it hardly looks like a mistake. His reaction was a shocked expression, but the hit was purely intentional. As if he could react that slowly when he extended his arms to it’s maximum to hit TJ. Now he’ll probably get rookie of the year and have an illustrious career.
Dec.28 at 3:43 pm
RV says:
He’s well spoken but he doesn’t have the personality to do broadcasting, i think he can still tweak his game to prolong his career, its not like he played above the rim all the time, he can continue to work on his j and beef up someto absorb
Dec.28 at 3:44 pm
RV says:
*beef up some to absorb the hits, he’s good enough and smart enough on the floor to still be effective with those changes
Dec.28 at 4:13 pm
The Tree says:
The man has to weigh the pros and cons of the situation. In my opinion, the thought of coming back and going through the situation once more with an unfavorable outcome makes the decision an easy one to make. Nobody wants to talk months/years from now about how sad it is that TJ Ford didn’t quit while ahead walk away while he still had the physical ability to…
Dec.28 at 6:26 pm
Tyler Durden says:
As a Raptors fan, I speak for a lot of us - TJ has to do what’s best for him. Probably that means hang it up, but best of luck to him whatever he chooses … (if he continues to play though, he has to stay out of the paint)
Dec.28 at 8:26 pm
LAN says:
i hope he continues 2 play. could he wear a neck brace or somthing while he’s playin? and that was unintentional by horford. he’s a 6 foot 10 19 year old ure a bit unco-ordinated wen ure that. u midgets here writin hate comments on him don’t no that, i do bein 6′7 n 15. n it wasnt necceserally the hit it was the fall n the snap in his neck wen it hit the ground.
Dec.28 at 8:29 pm
Jukai says:
this shouldn’t really even be an issue. If TJ really is worried about his life, he should retire. That’s all there is to it.
Dec.28 at 8:50 pm
rob stewart says:
My prayers go up for TJ. Hope he figures out what he should do.
Dec.28 at 9:25 pm
Gerard Himself says:
Justin: this happened weeks ago. It wasn’t Horford’s mistake. If you still don’t get that, you might’ve taken a hit on the head as well.
Dec.28 at 11:05 pm
Tommo says:
Al Horford Sucks!
Dec.29 at 1:25 am
RaptorsFan2008 says:
T.J is such a great player. Its a shame that this had to happen. To be fair this was a isolated incident involving a young player in Al Horford who was simply trying to give a hard foul. There was no malicious intent at all when Horford fouled Ford. Ford needs to take as much time as he needs to recover from this incident both mentally and physically. Luckily for the Raptors, they have probably the best player in the NBA that most people have never heard of. Jose Calderon is a starting NBA point guard and can fill in very admirably. Calderon leads the NBA in Assist-Turnover ratio by a landslide. Its a shock when he turns the ball over twice in a game. What i hope or from TJ Ford is to take his time to recover and when he is ready to return the Raptors should bring him off the bench and start Calderon instead. Right now i think Calderon is the better fit for this team. This is not a knock against Ford who is still a NBA starting point guard and possibly the fastest player in the NBA. But a praise of Jose Calderon who has been spectacular this season. Steve Nash, Jason Kidd good. Check the stats.
Dec.29 at 2:51 am
jdog says:
stop whining and play basketball whoose. It only happened once.
Dec.29 at 2:53 am
jdog says:
oh no a scary fall I’m gonna die!!!! get out of here loser
Dec.29 at 6:42 am
underdog says:
I think he’s going to return to the court. TJ put his life on this sport (like most of the NBA players), plus he’s very young and successful. I hope he’s going to make the best decision. It’s ‘fu**in difficult for him. But I wouldn’t walk in Horford’s shoes either.
Dec.29 at 2:12 pm
apollo 33 says:
TJ should come back. he hit the back of his head hard on the court, not the top, so his spine wouldn’t be compressed at all. i don’t know how many of you know anatomy, but getting your bell rung doesn’t coincide with hurting your spine.
Dec.30 at 3:00 am
Ben says:
I’m just glad Al Horford is okay. The Raptors have had a little time in the spotlight but I’m too young to even remember a time when the Hawks had a .500 season. Still, get well soon TJ.
Dec.30 at 3:30 am
Jimmy G says:
I’d love for TJ to comeback, but you’ll have another goofball (I like Al and respect him for staying with TJ, but damn) like Al that doesn’t know his own strength. If nothing else he’ll always have a place in Austin. Thanks TJ for reviving the Texas basketball program.
Dec.30 at 8:36 am
t.dot dude says:
please dont leave tj, please
Dec.31 at 1:28 am
Mark R says:
I would do it if I were him. I’ve worked my ass off in hopes of getting a D2 scholarship.
In order to make it to the NBA he must have worked twice as hard as me. I think he already said that he’s coming back.
He said it in an interview with Raptors commentator Chuck Swirsky.
Dec.31 at 10:18 am
Adrian Zapata says:
I hope he can recover and play again. If he can not play though, he is more then welcome and has plenty of opportunities back here in Texas!
Dec.31 at 2:43 pm
Wes says:
that waz one of tha most frighten injuries i’ve eva seen. T.J Ford iz one of my fav point guards in tha league, and watchin dat injury scared tha hell out of me. i think he should prolly retire, or come back and play limited minutes. either way my prayers are wit u T.J>