Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The Good and Bad of the NFL

This whole Michael Vick controversy can be construed to say that there is much in the NFL that is wrong.

We've all heard of the players who have been arrested for drunk driving, battery, rape, gun violence, murder and the like.
I just googled NFL crime and got these results. Sad and troubling to say the least.

I know that our culture tends to focus on the bad, so it comes as no surprise that the NFL's image has been damaged by the conduct of some of it's players. But should we just highlight the bad players and ignore the players and coaches who are great role models? I realize that the good always flies under the radar of the bad, but it doesn't have to be that way.

Which brings me to Tony Dungy. He has a new book out, a bestseller by the way, titled Quiet Strength. Tim Challies reviews the book, here is an excerpt:

Those who know the National Football League will know of Tony Dungy, the coach of the Indianapolis Colts. One of the league’s premier and most respected coaches, Dungy is a Christian and one who is outspoken about his faith. Two events in the past two years have put him in the spotlight: the death of his son in 2006 and the Colts’ Superbowl victory in 2007. Anyone who has read about Dungy or observed him on the sidelines will affirm that Quiet Strength is a perfect title for his memoir—a book that has reached as high as the top spot on the New York Times list of bestsellers, becoming the first NFL-related book to hold that honor.
I don't just bring him up because he is a Christian, but because he is a good role model of a man who has lived his life with integrity and humility, within the NFL. I just hate it now that when I watch a game, all the commentators keep talking about is Michael Vick.

Related: Justin Taylor weighs in on some recent NFL news here. You be the judge as to whether or not there seems to be a moral equivalence problem in the NFL.