Those who keep up with college football are probably aware that Torii Hunter Jr. left Notre Dame last winter in order to follow his fatherâs footsteps and pursue baseball with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim organization.
If not, hereâs what Hunter Jr. tweeted at the time of his decision:
Love thee! 🍀🍀🍀 pic.twitter.com/aBOBPPHdIy
— Torii Hunter Jr. (@THunterJr) December 15, 2016
What Hunter Jr. left out of there is the fact he suffered a concussion last September -- a pretty bad one, after which he said:
âIt was my first one that Iâve told them about, or that theyâve known about, that Iâve actually lost consciousness and all that,â Hunter said. âSo, yeah, it was my first one that Iâve experienced. It was a real experience, but Iâm glad to be back.â
As reckless and wild as that quote seems -- âthe first one that Iâve told them aboutâ -- it appears Hunter Jr. is taking a different stance toward concussions and playing football. Take a look at what he told Pedro Moura over the weekend, as he was prepping for his first exposure to big-league camp:
Torii Hunter Jr. said it was easy to give up football after his September concussion. "I’m not crazy enough to play this sport," he said.
— Pedro Moura (@pedromoura) March 19, 2017
Smart man.
On a related note, hereâs what Hunter Jr. (and his father) had to say after his first big-league spring appearance, in which he pinch-ran for Mike Trout:
We go live to @JoseMota05 with Torii Hunter ... Sr. (@toriihunter48) and Jr. (@THunterJr)! @Angels@MLBonFOX#LAASpring#GetYourRedOn#MLBpic.twitter.com/PNhbEnrYMS
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) March 20, 2017
Say this much about Hunter Jr. -- between Hunter Sr. and Trout, heâs in close contact with some great center fielders.