The High Court

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The Daily Verdict

December 23, 2005

 

It isn’t the message I wanted to leave during a time of year that should be joyous for so many reasons, but I felt compelled to acknowledge the passing of Tony Dungy’s 18-year old son, James.  It is a jarring reminder of how unimportant and inconsequential sports can be.  On Sunday, Tony Dungy answered questions about the loss of a perfect season; on Thursday he dealt with the loss of one of his children.  Nothing on earth could more perfectly frame how little a football game can mean.

 

I love sports, and it is not my intention to belittle how important they are to our lives.  They provide motivation and inspiration and anguish and joy.  They can divide us and bring us together.  Sports provide entertainment and escape.  They are often the perfect metaphor for life itself.  But in the wake of such an overwhelming loss, in the face of such overwhelming grief, sports are clearly put in their proper perspective.

 

I have struggled off and on for the last couple of months while weighing whether or not the world needed one more forum (no matter how obscure) that analyzed and discussed the world of sports as if it was a matter of life and death.  The answer comes with great clarity, and that answer is no.  The world requires none of it, and would likely be better off if not besieged by any of it.  How Peyton Manning deals with Sunday’s loss to the Chargers doesn’t really matter.  How the Dungy family deals with the loss of a son and a brother matters a great deal.

 

Reports from the Hillsborough County (FLA) Sheriff’s Office indicated that James Dungy’s death was likely a suicide.  It is difficult to grasp how a young man with such a tremendous family and such a bright future could take his own life; but how James Dungy died will only add to the grief that his family will endure.  Tony Dungy has overcome so many obstacles in life…being an African-American quarterback at Minnesota…going from being an undrafted free agent to an NFL defensive back…becoming an African-American head coach in the NFL...and trying to overcome the idea that he was too nice a guy to lead a championship team.

 

And you know the first thing that those who know Tony Dungy cited as the one thing that would get him through this horrible ordeal?  His faith.  His Christian faith.  The thing that has made some people question his toughness was the thing that Bill Polian, Herm Edwards, and others pointed to as the rock the Dungy family could and would cling to aid them through the worst thing any parent can ever experience.

 

I hope they are right.  I hope that Tony and his wife, Lauren, and their four children can lean on their faith to find peace and understanding in the tragic passing of their son and brother.  As I pray for them in their time of grief, I also pray that I (and every other parent) would never have to have our faith tested in such a way.  I am also reminded that the Dungy family is not the only family that will have lost a child in recent weeks.  And they won’t be the last.  I would hope that all of us can remember that every young life is precious, and that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of grieving families around the world right this very moment that have lost a loved one that matters just as much to them as James Dungy did to his family.

 

We almost always tend to think of Christmas as a time of joy and celebration.  Whether the focus of your celebration is religious or secular in nature, it is for most of us a time of togetherness.  But keep in mind that for many people Christmas is the most emotionally difficult time of year to endure, because of the memories of loved ones lost that are no longer present.  Those memories can make this holiday season the loneliest time of all.  So if you are blessed enough to be surrounded by friends and family this holiday season, take a good look around and take inventory of all that you have to be thankful for.  Sharing the Christmas season with those that mean the most of you is a gift to cherish, a gift you should never take for granted.

 

 

Contact The Chief Justice at chiefjustice@thehighcourtofsports.com.