In case you didn’t know, I’m a football-loving girl. It may be all cupcakes and sprinkles in the kitchen, but when it’s game time, it’s game time. I’ve always had a passion for sports and believed deeply in professional athletes’ ability to use their voice and their platform for good.
Watching the NFL Draft this year, I couldn’t help but see how the true importance of character and integrity play a significant role in life—even in the world of sports—and proves what the Bible says in Luke 12:2: “The time is coming when everything that is covered up will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all.”
Just 13 minutes before the start of the 2016 NFL Draft, a mysterious and highly compromising video was posted to Ole Miss Tackle Laremy Tunsil’s Twitter account. Once projected to be a #1 overall pick, Tunsil slid all the way to number 13 pick when the Miami Dolphins selected him. This video seemed to be the icing on the cake (there I go again…) of numerable other character concerns, including a domestic violence arrest (as if the NFL hasn’t already dealt with enough of that) and 5 investigated NCAA violations related to the receipt of improper benefits (in non-NCAA terms: accepting unauthorized money from the program).
This string of incidents plagued Tunsil’s college career, causing him to miss the end of his junior season due to a 7 game suspension from the NCAA. And, unfortunately, the start of his NFL career isn’t any cleaner.
As if the pre-draft Twitter post weren’t enough, just after he was selected by the Miami Dolphins, screenshots of text messages allegedly between himself and a member of the coaching staff asking for money were posted to Tunsil’s Instagram account. These actions not only incriminate Laremy Tunsil, but they will undoubtedly trigger significant consquences that will impact the future of the Ole Miss football program. What’s even worse, he chose to lie about it.
This pattern of behavior seems unfortunately consistent, even down to Tunsil’s initial response to the incidents when brought to light. Prior to his NCAA suspension, it was determined that Tunsil “was not completely forthcoming when initially questioned… He later corrected his account and since apologized.” (Ole Miss Sports)
Now, this post is not to serve as a draft recap or even a tirade condemning a single player. Everyone makes mistakes. Period. But the takeaway here is that character is paramount, even on a football field.
For all that is secret will eventually be brought into the open, and everything that is concealed will be brought to light and made known to all. – Luke 8:17 (NLT)
You represent yourself. You represent your family. You represent your school, your job, your church, and any other group you belong to. And most of all, you represent your Creator. There is no action that we should undertake that we would be ashamed to have broadcast to the whole world (or Twitterverse, as it were). Obviously, this doesn’t always play out in ideal fashion. Thank God for grace, mercy and forgiveness! But I couldn’t agree more with the statement, “The best apology is changed behavior.”
The lesson here is clear: guard your heart and your reputation against all ill. Participating in, or being associated with, people or activities that do not align with your values can cause irreparable character damage that destroys your ability to credibly use your platform for positive influence.
This has been the case for far too many NFL and other professional athletes, and it breaks my heart. Argue it if you want, but athletes are role models whether they like it or not (sorry not sorry, Chuck). The truth is, young sports fans put these athletes on a pedestal, modeling their game after them and striving to reach their same levels of success. Because of the inordinate amount of publicity and media attention that comes with the territory, pro athletes inherit a platform from which their every word, action, tweet, and post is broadcast far and wide. As a result, I am a firm believer that athletes especially—but really, all of us—should take seriously their responsibility to represent themselves, their families, their organizations, and their Creator well. It takes true character and integrity to do that.
We’re called to live like this: “so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world.” Philippians 2:15 (HCSB)
If nothing else, I sincerely hope that Laremy Tunsil’s experience, while shocking and embarrassing, makes clear that what the Bible says is true: we will all be held accountable for our actions at one point or another. What’s more, I hope it makes each of us truly consider the impact of our everyday choices and what they broadcast to our spheres of influence.