CHAPEL HILL
Being tackled is a part of football, a reality that every player who runs with the ball understands could happen but one that Elijah Hood refuses to accept because he views it as something like an affront to his manhood – a personal offense, an insult.
“He really dislikes being tackled,” North Carolina coach Larry Fedora said on Monday of Hood, the Tar Heels' sophomore running back who is averaging nearly seven yards per carry. And yes, Fedora likely could have said the same about any offensive player's affinity for being tackled.
Yet Hood carries an especially strong distaste for it.