Joe Montana in Kansas City, Emmit Smith as a Cardinal, Michael Jordan as a Washington Wizard? We’ve seen many of our heroes finish their careers in places we never thought they’d be. This is true both geographically as well as their skill level in some cases. So why can’t they all just call their own shots or go out on their own terms? Ultimately, nobody is immune.
With the completion of the NFL season now a distant memory, teams all across the league are in the process of difficult personnel decisions. There are free agents to sign, draft picks to make and players to release. Of course, yesterday’s news of Peyton Manning’s release is the most notable but similar story lines apply with guys like Hines Ward, Matt Birk and Chad “Soon-to-be- Johnson.” These stories combined drive home the truth that the NFL is a business, make no mistake about it. Loyalties are thin and commitments are about as solid as toilet paper in a rainstorm. I had a coach once who would joke about his contract being written on a McDonald’s napkin…in pencil! Life in the NFL is full of uncertainty; you just never know when injury, poor play, or business decisions will end your career. But is real life so very different?
When I first began these blogs, it was under the pretense that faith seems to be very prevalent with professional athletes. Maybe the previous point about uncertainty is the reason why. There is a story in the Bible that talks about two houses; one of a wise man and one of a foolish man. The foolish man built his house on the sand while the wise man chose to build it on solid rock. When the rains came, the fool’s house was destroyed because the shifting sand underneath the foundation caused the whole house to collapse. Meanwhile the wise man’s house stood strong. My favorite part of this story is that the storm hit BOTH houses, illustrating that in life, there truly is nowhere to hide from life’s “storms.” In fact, the storms of life might be the only thing that is absolutely certain. So for guys like Peyton Manning, I wonder about their foundations in times like these and pray that they haven’t built them on the NFL.
Sometimes I think my view on life could easily be seen as self-deprecating, anti-accomplishment or even anti-NFL, but it’s really not. I just can’t escape the facts of reality and the experiences I’ve had. When I retired, my phone fell silent. The influx of big paychecks, suddenly done. The pride I felt knowing I had the ultimate trump card when the “what do you do for a living question” came, crushed at the realization that immediately I fall into the inconsequential group that used to play. It’s difficult and every guy that leaves the NFL goes through the same thing. But then again, so is staying in the NFL. Diminishing skills or opportunities, hurting bodies, yearly coaching changes; all aspects that make stardom fleeting. That’s why the solid ground I’ve found is firmly rooted in God’s Word. Psalm 39:5b-7 says, “Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Surely every man walks about like a shadow; surely they busy themselves in vain; He heaps up riches and does not know who will gather them. And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You.”
Making your occupation the god of your life will never end well. It’s just sand and it will always shift under the weight of a storm. My prayer is that you find the Rock and build on that.
