The 'scariest player in NFL history' refused to apologise after paralysing opponent for life

An NFL player who once paralysed his opponent has been labelled one of the 'scariest players' in the history of the sport after he refused to apologised for the tackle

On August 12, 1978, an NFL preseason match between the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots saw one of the most devastating moments in the history of the sport.

During the match, Darryl Stingley stretched for an errant pass but was hit by Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum, causing the Patriots Wide receiver to immediately crash to the ground, making it clear something was seriously wrong.

Stingley's helmet had made contact with Tatum's shoulder pad, causing his spinal chord to compress, leading to breaks in his fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae, leaving him a quadriplegic.

Shockingly, No penalty flags were thrown and Tatum was not disciplined over the incident, despite Tatum not apologising for the life-altering hit.

Jack Tatum played in the NFL for nine years. (Image: Getty)

Writing about the incident in his 1983 autobiography, Happy To Be Alive, Singley revealed that Tatum never made any effort to apologise or to see him after the incident.

However, Tatum’s friend and former Ohio State teammate John Hicks revealed that the event had a long-lasting impact on the Raiders' star's mental health.

“It was tough on him, too,” Hicks revealed. “He wasn’t the same person after that. For years, he was almost a recluse.”

In his 1980 book, Tatum himself wrote: “When the reality of Stingley’s injury hit me with its full impact, I was shattered. To think that my tackle broke another man’s neck and killed his future.”

The two men never met again, with efforts from both sides, but four years before his death, Stingley revealed in a Boston Globe interview that he had forgiven Tatum for the tackle.

Speaking in 2003, he said: "It's hard to articulate, It was a test of my faith, the entire story. In my heart and mind, I forgave Jack Tatum a long time ago."

Darryl Stingley died in 2007. (Image: Getty)

Tatum went on to have a successful career in the NFL, making a name for himself for his brutal hits, earning the nickname 'The Assassin.'

For this reason, it comes as no surprise that the former Raiders star was the very first name that came to mind when NFL writer Adam Rank decided to pick the scariest players ever to step onto the American football pitch.