Bo Jackson, arguably one the greatest two-sport athletes of all time, appeared on another scintillating episode of the Get Got Podcast. During his conversation with Marshawn Lynch, he shed light on past incidents of his life that left a deep impact on him.
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He revealed that just a few weeks after his career-ending hip replacement surgery, his mother passed away. Already in a bad place in life, in terms of his career as a football player, the loss shook him and he still feels the impact today.
He took the opportunity to deliver an important message to young people who are”caught up in being on social media that they don’t realize what’s important”:
“It’s not the money you make, you can lose that, you can lose the fame but you can never lose somebody’s respect. But one person that’s gonna always stand behind you, got your back is your mom.”
While talking about mothers and their impact and value in life, Bo expressed envy for Lynch and his co-host for still having their mothers.
Per Jackson, his mother was also his best friend. Learning from his own loss, the former All-Star wants the younger generation to move on from social media and step into reality.
Jackson could have been the greatest running back of all time and could have been in the Hall of Fame if it wasn’t for that injury he suffered just four years into his career.
Bo Jackson’s career-ending hip injury
Jackson – an All-Star in both baseball and football- saw his career get tragically cut short in 1991 during a playoff game between the Raiders and the Bengals. Ironically, he hadn’t originally planned to play, but the allure of facing Cincinnati was too strong to resist.
During the game, following an impressive 34-yard run, Bo was tackled awkwardly, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Though he tried to rise, his injury was too severe.
Initially, doctors believed he had only pulled a thigh muscle. But Bo knew it was more serious—he felt his hip “pop” during the fall. Later tests confirmed a dislocated hip, which doctors managed to reset. Unfortunately, his recovery took a devastating turn.
Bo developed a condition known as avascular necrosis (AVN), a bone disease that occurs when the blood supply to the bone is disrupted. Without adequate blood flow, the affected bone begins to weaken and deteriorate, significantly impacting his ability to continue his athletic career.
As the bone in his hip died, the only solution left was a hip replacement. The delay in diagnosis cost him his football career. Bo continued playing baseball for a few more years with an artificial hip but he was never the same.
