Playing on Sunday Afternoon

I heard a commentator talking about a high school football phenom the other day. His most cogent comment was that he has the ability to play on Sunday, inferring that someday he could play pro football. I could not help but think how many of those I have seen in my career. There is so much that happens between Friday night under the lights, to Saturday afternoon at old Sate U to Sunday afternoon playing for pay (not that the good ones do not get paid at old State U). We do kids an injustice when we hang tags like that on them. Most of the problems these kids have is taking care of business the other six days of the week, in practice, in training, in the classroom and in their personal lives. It is a process of growth and maturation; it is not just punching your ticket and going to the next level. We mislead these young talents into thinking they are something they are not. All of their self worth is wrapped in their identity as athletes. Witness Maurice Clarett, what will he do now? Let’s hope the prison has a football team for him to play on.