A Hall of Famer’s biggest regret
I’ve loved watching NFL football and the Kansas City Chiefs since I was a kid in the early 90s. One of the Chiefs’ biggest rivals has always been the Denver Broncos. There have been epic, back-and-forth matchups between the two teams over the years, with superstars and Hall of Fame-level players on both sides. While I may not care much for Broncos players when they’re playing, I’ve always maintained a level of grudging respect for their good players.
However, one player always bugged me. I never liked his attitude, his mouth, or the fact that he was so stinkin’ good – his name was Shannon Sharpe, and he played the Tight End position. He’d talk trash, back it up, and then talk some more. He never stopped talking, and his persona was always larger-than-life. On the field, he was close to unstoppable. He was the first TE to reach over 10,000 receiving yards, and he won 3 Superbowl Championships in his career. Life was much easier for my Chiefs once he retired in 2003, after playing for 14 seasons. He was elected to the ProFootball Hall of Fame in 2011.
During an interview in the spring of 2023, Shannon Sharpe was asked an interesting question, and his answer was much more transparent than I expected. He was asked “What advice would you go back and give yourself as a rookie?”
Here is his reply:
What would I tell myself?
I don't know. Honestly guys, from the time that I made it [to the NFL], everything was about football. I ate, I slept, I breathed, I talked football. And I think…I was terrible at a lot of things, except football. I was terrible at being a brother, terrible at being a son. I was terrible at being a father. I was terrible at being a boyfriend.
I was terrible at all of those, but I was a damn good football player.
Probably…I wish I could, look, I would go back, if I could tell my rookie self…I would say, “the way you judge success” because everything that I look at now is judged by success.
And that's the only thing. And so even my relationships now, here I am about to be double nickel [55] in about four months, is still judged by success. And so I would say, “Shannon, everything that you've accomplished doesn't mean anything, because you don't have anybody to share it with.”
That's what I would tell myself. I would do it…if I would do it over again. I would find that one person [to share life with]…and that's what I would do.
Of all the things he could have told himself as a rookie – the most important message he wanted to send back is that our relationships are the top, lasting priority. You can hear his regret as he spoke about all the relationships he was “terrible” at. Despite all the fame, money, and football glory he enjoyed…the missing link, as he sees it now, was a wife to share it with.
His comments bring to mind a few Scriptures:
Genesis 2:18, 24
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.”…This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.
Proverbs 31:10
Who can find a wife of noble character?
She is far more precious than jewels.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-11
Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. Also if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm?
God made us to be relational beings – we really do need each other. We were created to have a spouse, and there is a strong desire in us to find that special, unique connection between a man and a woman. Unfortunately, we’re often bad a recognizing how much of a priority this connection needs to be. We let many things get in the way, but the value of having “someone to share life with” surpasses all other achievements, awards, or personal experiences.
I encourage you to ask yourself the following hard questions:
What priority-level do relationships have in my life?
If they should be a higher priority, what immediate steps will I take to fix that?
If I believe they are prioritized correctly, what am I actively doing to keep them there?
Don’t get to the point where you look back on your life and realize that all your “success” wasn’t very successful because you failed to prioritize your relationships along the way.
Keep Pressing,
Ken