I just finished lifting weights and started going out on the field to shoot some hoops with everyone. That was a day when many people wanted to play a game of basketball. The game started to get very serious and I, being a competitive kid, was going for every rebound. I went up for a sharp bounce and another guy came out of nowhere and pushed me while I was in midair. I landed on my ankle with all my weight and felt my leg give way. I lay on the floor with tears in my eyes because I knew this was serious. My mother came to school and took me to the hospital. The doctor came out and told me that I had torn ligaments and tendons all along my lower leg and that I had a torn quadriceps. The doctor told me that my chances of playing football again were very slim. As she left the room I asked my mother to give me a moment. I just sat down and looked at my leg and started crying my eyes out. I knew my leg would never be the same again. I had to wear a boot for 10 weeks. Around that time I started to think that maybe I could try football again. I took the field for the last time. That practice no longer seemed the same. I wasn't as explosive as I was. So I knew my career had come to an end. That weekend I told my family I was quitting football and told them why. They were all very supportive of my decision. This was the hardest choice to make in my life. Letting go of my first love will always be