There's no such thing as an easy journey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Every player, coach and executive who achieves football "immortality" overcomes seemingly insurmountable obstacles and spends at least part of his career wandering in the wilderness.
Heisman Trophy winners find themselves unwanted and benched. Dedicated front-office lifers are forced to take last-chance jobs with down-and-out organizations. Perennial All-Pros become defined forever by one bad afternoon. Asthma nearly claims a great career before it starts. Bipolar disorder turns an inspirational leader into a pariah.
The dark dangers of a lifetime of vicious hitting claim one of the greatest of the great, reminding us that "immortality" is a mere metaphor.