By Brad Hubbard | @bradhubbard
Believe it or not, it has now been 15 years since ‘Varsity Blues’ made its theatrical debut. While it may not go down as the “greatest” football movie ever made it is in many peoples top 10. More importantly are how the football scenes reflected the times.
The character Billy Bob (played by Ron Lester) suffered a concussion. There wasn’t exactly concussion protocol done on him. He played the next week when he shouldn’t have been and proceeded to get the star QB Lance Harbor (played by the late Paul Walker) hurt when he missed a block.
Then there is the illegal hits. From leading with the crown of the helmet to horse collar tackles to hits on defenseless receivers just to name a few. In the new age of football where it seems like every hit on a player can draw a penalty ‘Varsity Blues’ could be used as an example of what not to do.
On the other hand, it is still a fun movie to watch.
Sideline Signals 