On Friday, former Jets guard Matt Slauson found a new home in Chicago by agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with the Bears. Naturally, the topic of Slauson’s block last year on Houston's Brian Cushing -- a block that tore Cushing’s ACL and ended his season -- was broached.
It’s probably not pleasant for Slauson to talk about, because it sounds like he still feels guilty. In case you’ve forgotten, here’s what happened.
Slauson was fined $10,000 for the peel-back block though he wasn’t penalized during the game, but the play still haunts him to this day.
"I think about it all the time,” Slauson said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “It was just unfortunate the way it happened, Brian getting hurt. I didn't want it to happen. I was just trying to do whatever I could to win. And, unfortunately, it worked out very badly. It was a frowned-upon block. But I think about it all the time, and I'm really sorry the guy got hurt for it."
Slauson said he procured Cushing’s phone number and called him to apologize. The two never actually spoke, though.
"I tried, but it didn't work out," Slauson said. "I wanted to let him know that I was really sorry. I heard he's a great guy, and I wish him all the best, and I'm sure I'm going to be seeing on the field again."
For his part, it didn’t seem like Cushing was upset with Slauson.
"I got cut. I got cut on a run play. It happens," Cushing said soon after the injury. "I was just keeping my head up. Whatever happens, happens. It's football. It's part of the game."
Not anymore. Since then, the NFL’s owners approved a rule change that now makes it illegal for a player to block an opponent at the knees from the blindside anywhere on the field.
