SEE VIDEO: John Dell practices with the WSSU football team
The big moment came during a 7-on-7 passing drill. It was my turn to do a slant pattern across the middle. The ball came, seemingly in slow motion, hit me in the chest, and … I've always had a fascination with stories about writers participating in something incredible and then writing about it. I've now had my George Plimpton moment, but I think I liked it better when somebody else was doing what came to be called "participatory journalism."
Plimpton wrote Paper Lion after going through training camp as a quarterback with the Detroit Lions in the 1960s. His book was later turned into a movie starring Alan Alda. My Plimpton moment was going to be a lot shorter -- just one practice with the Winston-Salem State University football team to see what the players go through.
I'm 44. The last time I put on a football helmet was in the sixth grade...
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