Bo Jackson is a Chicago legend — the American League All-Star who hit a home run in the All-Star Game then in the off-season was running over linebackers as a member of the Los Angeles Raiders. He was one of the great American athletes ever. His Tecmo Bowl video-game self was the most unstoppable sports video game character ever.
He’s also a guy who knows about injuries. A hip injury he suffered in the NFL slowed his career in both sports.
Jackson was in Chicago to throw out the first pitch for the White Sox Monday, and in the press box he weighed in on the Derrick Rose saga — and he has the Bulls’ star’s back, reports the Chicago Tribune.
“I am quite sure that Derrick is going to come back when he needs to,” Jackson told reporters in the press box during a wide-ranging conversation. “I couldn’t say either way whether he should or not. Derrick will know when it’s time to come back. I think he has handled it very well. It seems like the people who are having fits about this are you guys.
“Derrick has handled it well. He is a new dad and seems happy. Why push it? Between the media and the public pushing him he should come back, he should come back ... what if he did come back and reinjure himself? Then you’re going to point fingers at the staff of the Bulls saying he shouldn’t have come back. You guys can’t have it both ways. Let him heal, come back home and when he comes back home, welcome him.”
I’m with Jackson on this, to a point. It is Rose’s body, he should only come back when he feels ready to do so. To me, you can’t stand on the outside and say, “the only way he’ll get his health/confidence back is to play.” Those things can come back in a variety of ways. You and I don’t know how his knee feels, how his mind feels. It needs to be his call and his call alone.
But for the sake of a team less than three weeks from starting the playoffs, he needs to tell then if he’s in our out for these playoffs. The team either needs him back or needs to move on for this season mentally. Either decision is a good one, I just don’t think he can come back three games before the playoffs start and have that be a good fit for the team in the postseason.
