Written by Jarrett Qualls
In today’s world of sports, things have definitely changed.
There was a time when fans of the NFL looked at their star players as superheroes, or at least role models. We had men likeEmmitt SmithandRodger Staubachwhom we could watch and admire on and off the field.The NFLseems to have changed a little bit or maybe with all of the media, now we are seeing the true colors of these athletes that these players are not superheroes but they are regular people that mess up like us.
Early this week, superbowl wide receiverPlaxico Burressstarted his two-year jail sentence for carrying an unlicensed gun in a nightclub and accidently shooting himself. This story got me thinking about the related incidents that has happened to players in the NFL recently.Adam “Pacman” Joneswas involved in a Las Vegas shooting incident that ended up getting him suspended for the whole 2007 football season. The biggest example of them all has to be Former star quarterbackMichael Vick, sentenced to two years in jail after being arrested for running a dog-fighting ring.
Every time that I see one of the star athletes get in trouble, I want to see them get the book thrown at them because I look at them as being selfish for having a God given talent that makes them millions of dollars and then they go out and throw all of it away by being stupid.
I have been contemplating how I feel about these players getting second chances to play in the NFL again, when Michael Vick was reinstated after serving his sentence and is now a backup in the Eagles organization. This got me thinking. Should these former players get a second chance at sports?
The answer is yes. It took me awhile to come to this conclusion but as a Christian, I know that they should get a second chance. Just because they are star athletes and should be role model does not mean that, they will not slip up. There have been plenty of times where I have done something stupid, been in the wrong place at the wrong time and people have given me a second chance. We as Christians are so lucky that we worship a forgiving God who is willing to give us second chances. We are not perfect creatures and God allows us to make mistakes so we can learn and grow. The bible shows us that God is willing to help us when we struggle like in Colossians.
God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He’s set us up in the kingdom of the Son he loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins we were doomed to keep repeating. —Colossians 1:13-14(The Message)
So as Christians instead of hoping these Athletes fail, we should hope that they too are given a second chance from the NFL, society, but most importantly God. We are all human and none of us is perfect, so we should stop judging “famous” people on a higher level than ourselves. There is only one true judge and in the end, he will decide our fates. So we should give the Michael Vick’s and the Plaxico Burress’ in the world some slack, let them serve their time, learn from mistakes and have a chance for redemption. We all stumble and fall. I just hope my Christian family will take me in and give me a second chance, as we should do with these athletes.
