Quarterback Comeback
Published on March 22, 2024 under Indoor Football League (IFL)
Iowa Barnstormers News Release
March 31, 2023. In the second game of the season, on the second drive, on second down with two yards to go, the Iowa Barnstormers season changed.
Third-year quarterback Darius-James Peterson stayed down on the field after suffering a season-ending knee injury on a quarterback draw play.
"As soon as an injury happens, especially for any athlete, you have the thought process of will ever make it back out on his field again, is my career over," Peterson said. "The hardest thing was not being able to return onto that field that day and be at war with my teammates and my brothers out there not being able to finish the job."
Injuries were nothing new to him as he previously had more minor shoulder injuries, but being sidelined for an injury to a part of the body that is needed for most everyday tasks was a mental and physical process that he found challenging.
Despite the struggle of relearning some basic movements, Peterson found that the most difficult and frustrating part of the situation was that he was unable to physically contribute to the team that he had worked so hard to bring success to.
"It was definitely something that was hard for me and it would be hard for most players that are out there," Peterson said. "You put in so much work in the offseason and training camp with your fellow brothers and you hate to see that happen to somebody or yourself and not being able to give your 100% to the people surrounding you."
The rehabilitation and physical therapy process was also a new experience for Peterson. He struggled to walk, run and do the everyday movements that require bending of the knee and often found himself discouraged. However, he was determined to push through the pain and get back on the field and worked hard to do so.
"It's having to develop those muscles all over again," Peterson said. "After those first couple of weeks, maybe the first month I would say everything started to click again and I was able to do more and more as time progressed. Getting to that point of 'I feel 100% healthy and being able to get back out on the field is a great feeling."
Peterson explained that his teammates played crucial roles in keeping his mental focus and positive energy. Even during the game after he was injured, he wasn't as much concerned for his teammates worrying about him as he was about the team winning the game at hand.
"A lot of the guys on the team were very supportive," Peterson said. "Throughout the whole process itself, I didn't want to put things about me because at the end of the day, it's about us, but guys kept reaching out to me and making sure I was on the correct path to getting healthy and making sure if I needed anything they were there for me."
In addition to the support of his teammates and as a strong believer in his Christian faith, Peterson talked about how important it was for his mentality in continuing to have faith and not being afraid to use his support system for help when he needed it.
"Staying positive looking for different outlets whether for me it was my faith background and looking towards different signs that God has given me or having a good support system," Peterson said. "At the end of the day, we're all here together on this earth, we're here to help one another."
Peterson adopted the 'Angel' number sequence 2222 in reference to the moment of his injury and used that as mental motivation.
According to the article "A guide to angel numbers and what they mean", a sequence of twos is linked to the balance, trust and alignment that someone is there to help you to where you need to go (Kelly, 2021).
"Having (the numbers) was something that gave me my positive attitude in that all darkness comes to an end and the light will come forth," Peterson said. "I just knew that God was speaking to me and I just had another obstacle in front of me that I was going to overcome."
Peterson explained that he was pretty much completely healthy for the start of training camp in March and will be ready to go for the start of the season. He looks forward to topping the Indoor Football League statistics mirroring his 2022 season while also helping the team hunt for its second championship.
In 2022 before going down with the injury, Peterson finished fifth in the Indoor Football League in passing yards with 2004 while also racking up a league-leading 892 rushing yards as he led Iowa to a 9-8 record.
"We are going to take each game one at a time as seriously as the championship because each game is our championship we need to win each week," Peterson said. "My biggest goal is bringing back the winning culture. And I mean, the fans deserve it."
The Barnstormers (0-0) will begin their season in Green Bay on Saturday, March 23 when they face the Blizzard (0-1) at 6:05 pm at the Resch Center.
Indoor Football League Stories from March 22, 2024
- Tulsa Drops Game One in Overtime - Tulsa Oilers
- Week Two Preview - Jacksonville Sharks
- Quarterback Comeback - Iowa Barnstormers
- Preview: Fighters vs. Tulsa - Frisco Fighters
- Game Preview: Tulsa Oilers at Frisco Fighters - Tulsa Oilers
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