Being British, I think of American football, or just football depending on your point of view, as a bit of a game for sissys. Why all the padding and helmets? You don’t get any of that in rugby.

However, this video shows why the helmet and padding is necessary, because when you get an elbow in the face from a big guy running at full pelt, it’s the only thing that’ll stop you from being paralyzed.

It shows Carolina Panthers safety Dante Wesley taking out Tampa Bay Buccaneers punt returner Clifton Smith. It was a hell of a hit that left Smith concussed on the pitch for several minutes and ended his game.

As is usually the case, the incident caused a mass ruckus between the two teams before Wesley was ejected from the game. Carolina ended up winning 28-21 against the Buccaneers. Proving life is never fair and that cheats do sometimes prosper.