Only Fair

 

Fair by definition means free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice; it doesn’t mean we always get what we want

Matt Russell.

Does the name ring a bell? Well, it didn’t for me either, till the other night when I was reading a devotional bedtime story to my youngest daughter.

Here is what I learned about Matt Russell in nutshell.  He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 1997 as a fourth round linebacker out of Colorado University.  He was the reigning Dick Butkus award winner, which is given to the nation’s best collegiate linebacker. In his first pro season, Russell played sparingly mostly as a backup.  Going into the 1998 season he was touted as a starting linebacker.  However, in the preseason, his one knee was terribly injured and he spent an entire year rehabbing it. 

Now, get this.  In 1999, after regaining his health, the following preseason he severely injuries his other knee and misses another entire season. The next year, he found himself out of football altogether.

If you ask me, although Matt Russell got some tough setbacks, he has had what all of us in life tend to encounter.  Who among us, hasn’t had a work related injury?  Who hasn’t lost a job or known someone who has?  Who hasn’t had a lifelong dream shattered?  In essence, who hasn’t been treated by life a little cruelly?

What really happened to Matt Russell was only fair; he had a shot in the NFL it just didn’t work out.  Later in his life, he became a scout for the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots.  And just a month ago, he won a Super Bowl as the director of player personal of the Denver Broncos. Not too bad for a guy who got knocked down by life.

Here is some advice freely given by TV’s Everybody Loves Raymond’s dad, when he told someone down on their luck… SUCK IT UP NANCY.

The only real fair in life is the one in which they give out blue ribbons to pigs.

Swavel