Archived Mental Health Game Notes / Reset · Support · 2 min read
The Next Play Doesn’t Know You Screwed Up the Last One
An archived reflection on how Chris Henry and Legend Bey responded after mistakes in front of more than 100,000 people.
Chris Henry had already dropped a touchdown Saturday when another football hit his hands and wound up belonging to Ball State.
Legend Bey ran two kickoffs out of the end zone against advice from team captain Brandon Inniss. Both times, he was tackled short of the 25-yard line. Both times, he was corrected on the sidelines.
Those are lonely feelings for anyone. They feel considerably lonelier when you’re a teenager playing in Ohio Stadium with more than 100,000 people watching.
A lot of us know the feeling, even though we’ve never worn an Ohio State uniform.
We screw something up. Then we make it worse by continuing to replay the mistake in our heads long after the moment has passed.
Ryan Day reminded Henry that Jeremiah Smith’s first target was a dropped pass and that Smith forgot about it by the next play.
Bey accepted Day’s correction and learned from his mistake.
Both eventually scored touchdowns.
The football didn’t care what they’d done earlier.
Neither did the next play.