Riding a Rocket of Regret

Kellen Winslow had it made. A second year player for the Cleveland Browns, he had a huge contract and the playing time any linebacker would dream of. Today the starter lies in a hospital after sustaining serious injuries from an motorcycle accident.

NFL player’s huge contracts come with many conditions. No mountain climbing, no skating, no riding motorcycles…in short, if there is anything that can cause an injury, the team forbids it, to protect their giant investment.

But Kellen had other ideas. He went out and bought a new Suzuki GSX R750, that rockets from 0-60 mph in three seconds. Before he got a learner’s permit, he crashed the bike. One motorcycle dealer compared learning to ride on a rocket like this “like trying to take a singing lesson one day and trying to star in an opera the next. There is an insane surge of power in that bike.” Now the new GM of the Browns has to decide what to do with their $4 million mistake.