Role models, on and off the field

When athletes are in the news for something other than the game they played the night before, usually the reasons are not good. Sometimes it's run of the mill reasons: performance-enhancing drugs, run-ins with the law, and general prima donna behavior. And then, there's the stranger stuff, like illegal dogfighting rings and accidental self-inflicted gunshot wounds in nightclubs.

I remember how strange it seemed to me last year when Matt Jones, the former standout quarterback for the Arkansas Razorbacks, was arrested on cocaine charges in a parking lot in Fayetteville, AR. How could a guy with no previous history of trouble, who had found success in the NFL, do something so stupid? (FYI, many who knew more about Jones than I did were not so surprised. Sometimes it's not about prior arrest records so much as prior tendencies.) Jones' story seemed to confirm what the media often reflects, namely that both college and pro athletes are often a magnet for trouble.

I don't think that athletes are any worse people than the rest of us. They just have the unfortunate combination of lots of money to burn (in the case of the pros), a profession where they are treated like gods, and a high degree of media scrutiny. In other words, they've got ample opportunity to get into trouble coupled with a media machine ready to swoop down on them when they screw up.

We all want athletes to be "role models," right? I mean, that's the phrase you hear anytime an athlete does get caught doing something he shouldn't. The team will always release a statement that says something to the effect: "Athletes are supposed to be role models for kids. We sincerely regret that [Player X] has acted in this way and assure the public that steps will be taken to address this issue."

So with all that, it's really nice when an athlete comes along who actually is a role model. With all of his success at the University of Florida, the Gators' quarterback Tim Tebow gets rightfully praised for the life he lives off the field. Tebow spends his summers doing mission work, and he is unafraid to speak about his desire to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ when he's interviewed. When I was e-mailing a friend of mine about doing this blog post earlier today, he wrote back jokingly about how Tebow has already cured world hunger and stopped the hatred in the Middle East. Tebow can seem too good to be true, but maybe that's only because there just aren't that many examples of athletes who live their lives for others (or even for a higher calling).

I want to highlight another, lesser-known role model who is featured in today's sports column by Arkansas-Democrat Gazette sportswriter Wally Hall. That player is tight end D.J. Williams, who is an outstanding player for the Arkansas Razorbacks and who also happens to be an outstanding human being.

Read Wally Hall's column, if you have a couple of minutes. And take note that D.J.'s personality did not emerge out of thin air. That kind of thing has to be cultivated over time.

Hall's column paints the picture of a young guy who has a real strength of character. In a sacrificial sense, even. And that should be celebrated, just as much as Williams' exploits on the football field. High profile athletes can often get away with obnoxious behavior. And that means the ones who do show a willingness to reach out to the least, the last, and the lost are doing something that runs counter to the general culture of the sports world. When it happens, it's great to see.

[Update on 6/5/09: Chris Low of ESPN has written a story on D.J.'s background that makes his successes now, on and off the field, even more remarkable.]