Why athletes avoid the media

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J., Oct. 3 — The oddest injury of the season so far was sustained by linebacker Chase Blackburn, who was bumped by a reporter in the crowded postgame locker room Sunday as he cleaned his ear with a cotton swab.

The swab nearly ruptured Blackburn’s ear drum, and it was painful enough to drop Blackburn to the floor. He said he lost hearing in the ear, which bled, but doctors expect it to slowly return.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/sports/football/04giants.html?_r=2&ref=sports&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

 

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!!!

I sure as hell wouldn't want to be that reporter. I'm sure it was an accident, but even still. Shit like that is hard to forget, especially if the guy suffers long-term hearing damage. Word travels fast in NFL locker rooms among players.

 

This is why I don't clean my ears. Too damn dangerous.

 

Not a very smart move to try and clean your ears in a crowded locker room. Was he going to follow that up by having a rectal exam? Or he couldn't wait until he was in the mosh pit of the local club that night?

 

Not sure if you're being sarcastic or not, but I wouldn't clean my ears while walking in my apartment, never mind a crowded locker room.

 

I ruptured my ear drum nine years ago, and though it was painful then (particularly when I had to put the ear drops in), it healed just fine and I suffered no loss of hearing.

 

Exactly. That's a pretty stupid move by Blackburn.

 

Might be a little extreme to call it stupid. Dude just got out of the shower, was probably sitting at his locker cleaning his ears when some reporter not paying attention to where he was going/moving in the herd bumped into him. I doubt he was running around the locker room with Q-tips sticking out of his ears.

 

Ok, I'll change it from stupid and go back to not smart. Either way, there are lots of better places to clean one's ears than a postgame locker room. Maybe, he just wanted to make sure he could hear the questions clearly....

 

Ewwww.

I am fanatical about cleaning my ears.

 

I blame the media!!

 

How about waiting until you get home? Or go somewhere a little more private.

Yes, it's their dressing room, I hear you there. But. with people milling all over, you're putting yourself in a position where this can happen when you don't have to do so.