These past few months we’ve witnessed even the non-sports fan pay increased attention to the athletic arena. From the previous outrage directed at then NBA owner Donald Sterling and his racist rants to the current outrage directed at the quartet of NFL players marked more by their off-field abuse than on-field athleticism, we’re seeing the bad; we’re witnessing the ugly. “Bad” and “ugly,” however, do not account for all that occurs in the wide world of sports. Noting the infamous Eastwood epic, let’s not forget to focus on the good. Let’s not get sidetracked by all the awful in the world. Let’s celebrate the story of Devon Still.
Devon Still is a defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals. After being named a consensus All-American at Penn State, Still is now in his third year as a professional football player. Be aware that the average career of an NFL player is only 3.3 years (see Statista 2014). Entering his third year, in the last round of training camp cuts, Still was actually released. By his own admission, he wasn’t able to give 100% anymore.
In June of this year, Still’s 4 year old daughter, Leah, was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma, a rare pediatric cancer; she is said to have a slightly better than 50% chance of survival. Upon learning of the diagnosis, understandably, Still’s motivation to play professional football faded quickly. Said Still, “When I found out, I told my family I was done. Done. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving my daughter while she’s going through this. She’s fighting for her life. Sports is not more important than me being there while my daughter is fighting for her life.”
He said more… “My head is messed up, to be honest with you. It’s messed up. Sometimes I feel bi-polar. Sometimes I wake up and I’m optimistic. Sometimes I wake up and it’s just heavy on me.”
One day after being cut, Still was re-signed to the Bengals practice squad. The front office knew Still was no longer giving his best. But something bigger was happening in Cincinnati. By placing Devon Still on the 10 member practice squad, Still was able to maintain his excellent insurance by the NFL, paying for his daughter’s care.
“They could have just washed their hands completely of it,” Still said. “Say we don’t care what’s going on in his personal life, we just want people who can care 100% on football, that’s what they pay us to do. But they thought about my personal issues and allowed me to come back on the practice squad so I still have insurance. They said if I keep working on my physical with my injury and mentally prepared myself to focus on football, then they can move me back up to the roster, so I am not all the way out of the loop.”
Two weeks ago Still was moved back to the active roster. He has made significant contributions to the team’s success in each succeeding week. Something about the faith the Bengals showed in him and the prioritization of what’s truly most important made a difference in Still’s motivation — a motivation that continues to be spurred on by a heart wrapped around a vivacious young girl.
Said head coach Marvin Lewis, who is well respected for his character both on and off the field: “He’s been a great father. He’s done everything he can to be a part of the football team… We’ll continue to allow him to do what he needs to do as far as attending to her care because it’s important.”
The Bengals also made the decision to donate proceeds from Still’s jersey sales to Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital and pediatric cancer care and research. His #75 jersey has quickly become the team’s top seller. Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints, responded by personally purchasing 100 jerseys at $100 a piece.
Devon and Leah Still are making a positive difference far beyond any wide world of sports. The Bengals are doing something good.
Respectfully…
AR
Good to have more of this…now let’s have less crud!