Last weekend was the annual NFL draft — officially known as the “Annual Player Selection Meeting.” While a total of 257 players were picked by the professional football teams, there was one story in particular that seemed to have lessons surpassing the sports world. Such was the case of Shedeur Sanders. Allow us to briefly provide context…
Sanders is 23 years old. He is the most recent winner of the “Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award,” presented annually to the nation’s top quarterback in college football. The award is not solely based on one’s on field ability, but is given to the QB who also “best exemplifies character, scholastic and athletic achievement.”
Sanders is the son of Deion Sanders, an outstanding athlete himself in both professional football and baseball, known as “Prime Time.” While the moniker was bestowed by a teammate in high school, it has long lasted, due no doubt to both his flash on the field and oft-articulated faith in oneself.
Deion is a Christian man. He has openly shared that he became a follower of Jesus Christ in 1998, shortly after his first divorce. While experiencing all sorts of success, it wasn’t enough; it simply wasn’t satisfying. There was no lasting peace. He went from being actually suicidal to surrender, concluding only a relationship with Jesus would allow for that deeply craved by all of us, lasting peace. Said Deion, “Nothing helped me and delivered me and got me to the next day except for Jesus. I mean that was it when I said I surrendered. I gave my life to the Lord. Things began to change slowly but surely over (the) process.”
Indeed it is a process. And the reality is for all those who “give their life to the Lord,” they remain imperfect. That’s the zillion dollar understanding of the day. So often we look around at those in the church, and we see all this crud. We see people say some awful, hurtful things. They, though, are imperfect, too. And thus they don’t always mirror an accurate reflection of who Jesus is nor how he directed us to treat one another.
I’m no one’s Holy Spirit. And let none of us ever claim to be. But unfortunately, Deion, no doubt fueled by the fierce love a father has for his son, has said some hard things. Allow me to respectfully change the word “hard”… some rather boastful, non-humble things. For example, as Deion has said…
- “Do not allow my confidence to offend your insecurity.”
- “People say there’s no ‘I’ in team. Well, there’s not. But there’s an ‘I’ in win.”
- “Confidence is my natural odor.”
Specifically, too, he spoke about Shedeur, prior to the draft…
- “He will be a top 5 pick.”
- “I know where I want [my son] to go. There’s certain cities where it ain’t going to happen.”
- “There are teams I won’t allow him to play for.”
To be clear, when the season was over, prior to the individual evaluation period, Shedeur was expected to be an early first round pick. And then as the draft played out over last Thursday, Friday and Saturday, no team picked Deion’s son in the first round. Nor in the second or third. Not even the fourth. Thought to be one of the biggest slides ever in the NFL Draft, Shedeur Sanders was selected in the fifth round, by a team who had drafted another QB in front of him.
Why the slide? Lots of people have lots of reasons…
Was it collusion by NFL owners and GM’s?… Was it racism, not wanting to hire a confident, bold young black man as some have surmised?… Was it that he really wasn’t that good, and the evaluations were off?…
I have long been a fan of Deion Sanders. No doubt the family faces significantly more scrutiny than most… Was there a perceived lack of humility in both father and son?… Some have suggested the son had more than one interview with an NFL head coach and/or assistant in which he wasn’t prepared nor was he demonstrably humble. The humble part gets my attention.
We don’t know why the slide for Shedeur. I feel for the young man, as no doubt the slide from round 1 to 5 is accompanied by an ample share of embarrassment.
But what we do know is that football is a team sport. We know that the quarterback is a vocal leader. We also know that humility is one of the most attractive, effective qualities in great leaders.
With all due respect to the entire Sanders family — one can be confident and humble at the exact same time. Humility will also, always be most attractive.
Respectfully…
AR