Former Notre Dame and NFL Pittsburgh Steelers player, Jerome “the Bus” Bettis, on preventing injuries. Jerome has formed a great relationship with Stryker Corporation, which is a company focused on orthopedic medical technology in order to help athletes recover from long-standing injuries.

What is your advice for athletes looking to play in college or at the pro level?

First, you have to love the game. If you love the game, you'll be doing the things necessary to be successful at it. You have to be willing to sacrifice time and energy, to be the best that you can be in your craft. There is going to be pain involved. Whether it's taking an extra snap, running after practice, doing extra workouts, and physically putting more demands on your body than the next person. You can't be afraid to fail, failure is a part of life. Failure, to me, means if I didn't do it well enough the first time I have to do it better the next. If you have this mindset, then you will become a better football player and a better person.

How can an athlete deal with injuries?

One of the biggest problems with young athletes is that they come back too soon after an injury. They have to understand their health is the most important thing especially because they can't play that sport forever. I would tell the young athletes who are dealing with any pain or injuries, to manage the injury first, then the sport second.

* Originally published on September 1, 2016, by Keirsten Sires