A 60-year-old football player has gone viral for suffering a serious injury while playing in a new viral league for older men.
The 40U and 37U leagues are organized amateur football leagues for men 40 years or older or 37-year-olds and above respectively.
The upstarts have taken social media by storm in recent weeks with videos showing the men, who are decidedly past their prime, in action going viral.
However, one clip in particular has made the rounds among fans of the sport after an elderly man put himself in harm’s way.
The greying man, who is 60 according to YouTube channel HAM SANDWICH that shares videos from 37U games, is captured taking to the field where he suffered a brutal tackle.
The player, who wore the No 87 on the back of his Richmond Jets jersey, was then seen lying on the turf as his teammates, coaching staff and referee gathered around him. He reportedly suffered a torn ACL.
A 60-year-old football player has gone viral for suffering a serious injury while playing
The man reportedly tore his ACL playing in the viral 37U league for older players
The leagues have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent weeks as hilarious videos capturing players in action have taken over social media
Some teams have even shared content from ‘media days,’ while other clips show opponents embroiled in fist fights as tensions over the amateur game have risen or performing celebration dances.
In another video, another older man, who is only identified by his last name, ‘Bonner’, on the back of his jersey, is captured suiting up and taking to the field, where he is promptly the victim of a brutal hit.
The player, who is wearing a white jersey haphazardly pulled over a blue tshirt and red cargo shorts rather than football pants, is taken out on his first play in action.
Another clip shows a gentleman with a grey beard tearing up as he celebrates his team winning the ‘championship’ for a third straight year.
Even WAGs have gotten onboard with partners of the veteran players sharing a glimpse behind the scenes.
One woman even copied the ‘day in my life’ trend, filming herself bragging about her 37U defensive lineman boyfriend, while proudly rocking his jersey.
The leagues have also captured the attention of professional athletes, winning over former NBA star Carmelo Anthony.
‘Oh I f*** with this. Chasing sports dreams while pushing 40. These old n***** still active, man. They need the StayMe7o pack to recover. I f*** with it, I ain’t going to lie to y’all,’ he said in a recent episode of his 7 PM in Brooklyn podcast.
‘I need to start me a league for the 40 and up, no tackle, because the recovery too long. You f*** around and have a game on Sunday, you’re gonna be sore until next Sunday,’ his co-host Karlous Miller joked. ‘That’s a young man’s sport. I’m f*****g with it, but I know that recovery ain’t no joke.
‘Contact football with they work insurance? Talk about love for the game. You got a game and you got to work a 12 hour shift the next day? I’d get out there one, maybe like twice a year.’
Meanwhile, former NFL players Jalen Collins and King Dunlap were left floored by some of the clips when the leagues first went viral last year.
But with its newfound viral fame has come with a worrying trend. The 60-year-old’s ACL tear isn’t an isolated incident.
Many of the videos shared to social media feature the elderly players suffering devastating injuries, including multiple tendon tears.
