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19th Nov 2013

GIF: This neck-extending hit on an NFL QB is hard to watch

New Orleans Saints’ main man Drew Brees is fine but this hit is generating a lot of talk in the US.

JOE

New Orleans Saints’ main man Drew Brees is fine but this hit is generating a lot of talk in the US.

Only yesterday we brought you footage of one NFL player holding up a handful of another NFL player’s hair after a tackle so it is a seriously tough business these lads are in.

But that brutality is rarely so clearly shown as it is in this small snippet from Sunday night’s game between the New Orleans Saints and the San Francisco 49ers.

As Saints QB Drew Brees looks to release the ball he is caught by Ahmad Brooks of the 49ers. The hit was flagged at the time, helping the Saints keep the ball in a tight game that they would eventually win by a final-second field goal, 23-20.

On the replay to see just how high the hit was (and it was pretty high but possibly still legal) and you also get to see very clearly just what the impact did to Brees’ neck. Yep, it stretches like a rubber band.

Brees hit

Luckily, possibly miraculously, Brees was and is okay, and Brooks may face a fine for his borderline hit. The incident has again raised the issue of what is and isn’t allowed in the NFL, but it is certainly one of the most illustrative bits of footage we have seen of just how hard these guys hit each other.