We all watch on-field highlights of athletes doing incredible things, and the general consensus that we come to is, “Wow, that’s amazing!” What could be more incredible than watching a football star hurdle over a defender for a touchdown, or a baseball player win a game with a walk-off grand slam?
The answer: When the athletes overcome the obstacles we don’t see.
Stories about athletes overcoming tragedy do pop up from time to time, but it doesn’t always resonate with us until we experience something firsthand — or, as close to firsthand as you can get.
Last week, I received an email that stood out. The sender told me about a young football player who has dealt with two losses in the family and moved halfway across the country — all in the span of about a year. I’m refraining from giving out a lot of the details here, because I don’t want to spoil the story before it publishes. However, I came away from the interview with a tremendous amount of respect for the young man.
Death and separation are hard for anyone to reconcile, especially when you’ve just entered your teenage years, so I can’t imagine what it must have been like to shoulder the weight of both around the same time. But, the athlete was insistent about one thing: His faith, above everything else, guided him through it.
On the same day as our interview, the news about Minnesota Vikings star Adrian Peterson’s son broke. At first, reports were murky at best. But then, accuracies began to surface — horrifying details. No father should ever have to bury his own son, especially after such a senseless act of violence by another man. And no one should ever take to Twitter to tell an athlete things like, “I know your son just died and all, but you carry my fantasy team. You need to play this week.”
I knew of stories from years ago, when athletes played a game not long after a personal tragedy, like when Brett Favre played a Monday Night Football game in 2003 just one day after his father died of a heart attack. But, I figured this would be a different story. I thought, “How can A.P. possibly play after all this?” I was hoping he’d sit that game out to be with his family, which also would have figuratively smacked those Twitter users right in their faces.
On Sunday morning, Peterson sent FOX’s Laura Okmin a text message, which made more than a few jaws drop. He was going to play.
“You may ask why?” Peterson said. “God wants good to come from it. … We mourn and grieve, but heaven had the baddest welcoming party for my son. That knowledge gives me peace. I’m still hurt and feel the pain of life, but I’m able to function because of the peace and joy of knowing my loved ones are in a much better place.”
Peterson didn’t put on an all-time classic performance. He finished the day with 10 rushes for 62 yards and no touchdowns. But, it doesn’t matter. For a guy often referred to as a “superhuman,” a guy who likely will end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I’d say his actions on Sunday only added to this reputation.
Since then, I’ve thought more about our local football player, dealing with his own set of tragedies. About the rubber bracelets he wears to remind himself of his lost love one, as well as his faith. This kid’s got a constant reminder, every day, of his personal tragedy, but he’s strong enough to deal with it. That is just as awesome as any highlight-reel play that Peterson ever made during a game.
I’ve always believed athletes are among the most strong-willed people I know. Their dedication to a craft fascinates me: I love finding out what makes these people tick. And, it’s great when we, as sports fans, uncover something that connects us to our heroes on the gridiron or other playing field.
Especially when it’s something as simple as one’s own faith. Besides the love of the game itself, what else can a teenager in Plant City have so strongly in common with a superstar athlete across the country?