Renaldo Wynn played college football at Notre Dame before he was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first round of the 1997 NFL Draft.  Wynn was a standout defensive end who also played for the Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints and New York Giants.

At Notre Dame, Wynn gained All-American honorable mention honors as a junior and during his senior season Wynn was named the team’s Most Valuable Player and Lineman of the Year.

Wynn is currently living in Las Vegas with his wife and daughter.

Talking about his time at Notre Dame:

Coming in as freshmen, my class was the number one recruiting class in the country; so needless we say we thought our stuff didn’t stink.  At the time, Notre Dame was ranked in the top 10 every year and always had an opportunity to win a national championship.

My freshmen class of guys were always getting into trouble on campus.  If there was something to get into, it probably had something to do with our freshmen class.  We all chose to come to a school like Notre Dame because of the popularity of the school, the winning tradition and the exposure.  We were the only school at the time with TV contract exclusively with NBC, and we used to call it the Notre Dame Broadcast Company.  Now, every school is on TV but back when I was playing in college that was the strength of Notre Dame’s recruiting because your parents could see you no matter where you were from.  Because of that, we would get kids from all over.

Coming to a college campus and being a young kid, it’s easy to lose sight of why you are there.  For me, I quickly lost sight of why I was there when I almost got kicked out of school because of my academics.  I didn’t go to class and I ended up really coming to grips with the fact that I was potentially going to lose football and the privilege of being a Notre Dame student.  It was a wake up call for me when the Dean told me that I probably wasn’t going to make it back next semester and that was the first time in two years that I prayed.  In my thoughts, I was blind because I didn’t think I should pray if I wasn’t going to do the right thing anyway.  It was one of those things that God used to humble me.  Sometimes people come to know the Lord at the lowest point.  I wish it hadn’t been like that, but for me it was.  I was crushed because I put my hope in football.  Football defined me and was an idol in my life.  When I thought that was going to be taken from me it was something that was devastating.

It was a major wake-up call and I remember making two requests to God.  The first was to keep me in school and the second was for a wife.  God gave me the second one quicker than the first. From the second I met my wife, I knew she was the one.  We got married three months after we met and we’ve now been married for 17 years.

At that point in my life, my dad pretty much disowned me out of anger and disappointment because he questioned how I could get married and have the responsibility to do something like that when I could barely stay in school.  My teammates, coaches and pretty much everyone close to me in my life was against it. God wasn’t against it.  God knew that she was the woman for me and she made me a better person.

She pushed me and I began to develop good study habits and worked hard.  I actually made the Dean’s List the semester after we got married.  I know that it wasn’t anything in me, but it was God in His grace moving in me to even be able to do that.  I give all the glory to Him.

Talking about the topic of purpose in Game Plan for Life:

I was living a life without purpose because I thought football was my purpose and that was what I was defined to do.  Football was just a platform that God wanted me to use to reach out to people that I may not be able to reach without it.  It wasn’t until I came into a relationship with God that I began to know what my real purpose was.  My wife and I gave our lives to Christ right before I was drafted in the first round by Jacksonville.  I wouldn’t be here now if I wasn’t saved going into the NFL because there are so many temptations that come with the life of a professional athlete.

God had a much bigger purpose for my life than football.   I am a disciple of Jesus Christ and my job is to tell others about Him.

Challenges of raising a daughter:

It was my third year in the NFL when Kennedy was born, and it has been awesome.  When you bring a child into this world it is such a gift.  Your whole perspective changes and you realize how much responsibility it takes to be a parent because you are responsible for this life that God has entrusted you with.   I want to be able to give her eternal insight and who she is in Christ.

One thing that a lot of parents do, and it is one thing that has been passed down from generation to generation, is not building their kids up.  There is a lot of negativity and it might be seen as a way to help your kid and in actuality you have to be careful with the words that you use.  The Bible says that life and death is in the power of the tongue.  It is amazing because there are statistics that show it takes 10 positive words to erase one negative word.  I remember things that my dad told me or something my mom told my sister and me, and we still have those triggers and thoughts of some of those negative words even now as an adult.  I think this new generation in Christ is called to speak life into our kids even when we are reprimanding them or disciplining them.

For me, sometimes those habits of how my parents raised me will get passed onto my daughter in my tone of voice or the words that I chose.  I can get pretty angry at things that Kennedy may do, but I have to be conscious of even in that moment to encourage her even while I am correcting her.  I can still do it in an encouraging way and speak life into her.

Talking about his favorite Redskins moment:

Beating the Cowboys has always been a highlight!  There was a game we played at Cowboys Stadium where we had an unbelievable comeback.   Mark Brunell was the quarterback and Santana Moss caught two long touchdown passes, which was the icing on the cake.

Also, having the opportunity to go to the playoffs during Coach Gibbs’ second tenure.  I felt like we could have won the Super Bowl if Carlos Rogers would have caught that interception against the Seattle Seahawks!  Nevertheless, the 2005 season was a great run that started back in the tenth or eleventh game of the season where we had to go 5-0 to make the playoffs.  After 11 games in the season, we had to “go 5-0 or we don’t go.”

We had some tough opponents in front of us including the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys and ended the season with the Philadelphia Eagles.  We beat all those teams and went to the playoffs.

It was a great run that started when Coach Gibbs came in the locker room right before the first game that we had to win in order to have a chance of making the playoffs and spoke to our team.  Before Coach walked in, everyone in the locker room was already talking about leaving and packing up for the off-season, and he changed the whole atmosphere when he started talking about his faith and believing that we could do it.  Coach said that it didn’t matter what the media or anyone on the outside says, but as long as the people here in the Redskin facility believe that’s all that matters.  Even though some guys were still hesitant to go all in, all Coach said was that we had to win one.  Just win one and then we win the second one.  As we started winning and the momentum continued to build, when we won that third game guys were looking around and saying, “Hold on, we can really do this thing!”

We played our first playoff game that season in Tampa and it was a great, physical game.  I actually broke my arm that game and it was a tragic year for me personally because I knew that injury would have a major affect on me going into the following year.  It was a definite test of faith for me because it affected a lot of nerves in my arm and I knew that was an injury that could have ended my career in the NFL.

That was definitely the most serious injury I’ve ever had where football was an afterthought because the pain was so intense.  It was a serious break that dealt with nerves, and I had to have surgery to put two titanium plates in my arm.  It took about a year to make a full recovery.  Again, it was just another test of faith for my family and me.  I couldn’t have done it on my own without the support of my family, my coaches and my teammates.

Talking about what has kept his marriage strong after 17 years:

Prayer and having a date night set up each week where we just spend time together.  It is easy to get so busy with work and the busyness of the day throughout the week that you lose that time.  For us, being able to spend quality time together by ourselves is incredibly important.  Being able to get away and talk about things and continue to cultivate our relationship has been crucial for us as a couple.

Marriage is a choice.  You know you love that person but we are called as husbands to treat our wives the way Christ treated the church.  Christ came to serve and He came to show the world that true Kingship is found in humility.  We have to love our wives the same way, and that requires us to serve and to serve selflessly.  I am still learning to do that and trying to continue showing her my love not only in words but also in deeds.

Talking about being a Christian among professional athletes:

It’s hard to witness to a professional athlete because they think they have everything.  If they want something they can just go out and buy it.  We live in a world where we believe we can fix most things with money.  You get a young guy who has never had much and all of a sudden he comes into a wealth of money and the last thing he wants to hear is you need to humble yourself and give your life to Christ.  This sport is the opposite of that and teaches you to be aggressive and competitive, and a lot of guys have a lot of pride because of it.

In the same aspect, I think the best thing you can do and the thing that speaks volumes about who you are is the way that you live your life.  At some point in time, what those guys think makes them happy is going to fail them.  That is when they come and ask questions because they have seen the way that you live and it looks different.  Really, it is up to you to have that opportunity because that opportunity is going to come and when it does be ready.  Be ready to share the love of Christ with them and take your own personal experience of what has happened in different situations and how you put your faith in God.  More then anything it is leading by example.

Once you have that opportunity to talk to a person about what true happiness and contentment is, and that the thing they are searching for is never going to be filled until you have that relationship with Jesus Christ.  That is true joy that only He can give.  The good thing about the locker room is it gives you the opportunity to build personal relationships with guys.  It is not just a one-time thing because you are with these guys probably more than you are with your own family during the season.  Building a relationship gives you the opportunity to build trust.

Talking about what he’s up to now:

I have been doing a lot of stuff in ministry and just trying to serve in any way I can.  My heart is geared towards helping others who are in a pit, or dealing with issues from homelessness to sex trafficking, or even just going down to the rescue mission in the inner city to help impact youth.  That has been my call this year just to serve in my church and spend time with my family and my daughter.

Jason Campbell played football for Auburn University before he was drafted in the first round by the Washington Redskins in the 2005 NFL Draft. As a starter at Auburn, he had a different offensive coordinator every year but Campbell found his stride during his senior season when he led the Tigers to an undefeated season and was named SEC Player of the Year and MVP of the SEC Championship Game.

Campbell played for the Redskins for four seasons before he was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2010. He had his ups and downs in Oakland, but he led Oakland to a 4-2 record in 2011 before he suffered a season-ending injury. Campbell’s contract was up in Oakland following the 2011 season, and he signed with the Chicago Bears for the 2012 season.

Campbell’s humility and perseverance have been an inspiration to those around him, and his positive spirit is contagious. I had the pleasure of talking to Campbell about his experience at Auburn as well as the NFL, and what he has learned through adversity.

Talking about his experience at Auburn:

The whole recruiting process can be exhausting but when I stepped on campus at Auburn I felt right at home because it just felt like a family environment between the players. When you get away from home there are a lot of things that will try to pull you in different directions so it’s important that you have people to hold you accountable.

From my first year at Auburn up until my senior year I grew not just as an athlete but also as a person. I went through four different coordinators during my time there and I was able to cope and deal with it because of my faith in God and trusting that He does things for a reason. Sometimes God uses athletes to be able to tell their personal stories to other kids that are watching you to convey the fact that you don’t ever give up.

My freshman year I almost transferred and my dad and I decided that I should stay there and let things play out. Things got better my sophomore year and continued to get better my junior year, until my offensive coordinator left to take the head coaching job at Louisville and we had to start all over again. Going into my senior season, Coach Al Borges was hired to come to Auburn and was able to put the pieces together. We always had talent but Coach Borges was able to get us to play together. I thank God that I stayed there because if I had left Auburn I wouldn’t be the person that I am today. It is the same way in life because you go through tough times and have to make tough decisions but I learned just to stay still and let God work it out for you because He has a purpose even if you can’t see it in the moment. I always had to remember that God didn’t bring me this far to leave me.

Talking about going undefeated his senior year at Auburn:

We had 26 seniors on that team and we were a brotherhood. It all started through something that our team chaplain did for us as a team on Friday nights. We would invite players to come and sit and talk about what was going on in our lives. We didn’t talk about football; we just talked about life and what different people were going through. We learned so much about each other that we all grew together. Our team verse that year was Proverbs 3:5-6. That verse talks about leaning on the Lord and not your own understanding. That verse helped unite and strengthen us as a team.

Talking about what he learned through all the coordinator changes in college:

Patience and perseverance- most people aren’t willing to accept or adapt to change and this is true both in football and in life. Change happens everyday, and it taught me a lot about patience and trust because I went through some of the same things in the NFL. What I was going through in college prepared me for what I would end up going through in the NFL. People don’t realize how tough it is to go through different coordinators and to learn a new system year in and year out or every two years. It’s tough because you don’t really get a chance to elevate your game to the next level because you’re playing and learning at the same time instead of just playing.

I believe that things happen for a reason, and maybe it happened so I can teach other kids that look up to me to understand that life will not always be a perfectly painted picture. You have to fight your way through things and not let your battles beat you up. I still continue to do that to this day.

Going into my senior season everyone knew that we had two of the best running backs in the country, Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams. I remember reading a magazine article that talked about the upcoming college football season, and the article said that the Auburn backfield had two of the best running backs in college football who were likely first round draft picks but their quarterback probably won’t be drafted. That stung because I knew I was a competitor and I knew the stuff I had gone through that other guys didn’t have to go through, but it made me work even harder. My senior season I ended up winning SEC Player of the Year, MVP of the SEC Championship Game, and MVP of the Sugar Bowl. I had a lot of games where I was player of the week during the season and it just goes to show you that people can say what they want to say but God has the last say-so. You can’t get too tied up with what people say about your abilities or your talent because in life there will always be people who say you can’t do or achieve something.

Talking about his most memorable game at Auburn:

My most memorable game at Auburn was during my senior season when we beat LSU 10-9. We were driving down the field to try and win the game, and I remember it was fourth-and-fourteen and I got hit right as I threw the ball. All I could hear was the crowd going crazy and that’s when my receiver, Courtney Taylor, caught the ball for the first down. We didn’t do much the next couple of plays and found ourselves in a third-and-twelve situation and we still were able to score. I threw another ball to Courtney Taylor and this time he caught it in the back of the end zone.

Talking about getting drafted in the first round by the Washington Redskins:

I remember Coach Gibbs coming down to see me and said to me, “If you’re still available by the time we get to pick then we’re going to pick you.” I got really excited but it still didn’t set in until it actually happened.

It was one of the historic moments in my life because Coach Gibbs was a franchise coach who had won three Super Bowl rings and is one of the greatest coaches to ever coach the game. Coach Gibbs had just come back into coaching after being out in retirement and here I am having a chance to play for him was huge. I knew a lot about him not just as a coach, but just in faith and knowing he takes care of his players and treats them the way he wants to be treated because that’s where his roots are. His roots are anchored in Christ, and to play for a guy like that meant so much to me.

Having a guy on the team like James Thrash, someone that would hold you accountable in your faith was really important. There is no better guy than James Thrash, from what he went through in his life and where he is as a person now, he really walked the walk. He is an example to people just through the way he lives his life. He didn’t have to say or do a whole lot, but he was one of those guys who was consistent every day and you knew exactly what you would get out of him. I appreciated him because he didn’t even realize how many guys looked up to him; I was one of those guys.

All the things that happen off the field in the NFL are tough because you have to worry about being traded, having different coordinators every other year, and just general uncertainty. It was tough but at the same time I understand that life is tough. I might be fighting my battle in my career but someone else is fighting an even harder battle in fighting for his or her life. There really is no comparison and I have to remember how blessed I am to play the game I love, because even if you think you got it bad there is always someone else who has it worse.

Talking about how dealing with adversity has made him a better teammate and friend:

I remember when I was playing in Oakland, there were a lot of young guys who looked up to me and I tried to tell them about situations that I went through in my life and my career to help them in their career. These guys were in their first and second year in the NFL, and a lot of situations or things come along where they don’t get along with the coach or have a problem with their playing time or role on the team. There is so much stuff going on off the field that I would tell them to stay level headed as much as possible because you don’t want to do anything now that will cost you later.

Talking about his favorite Coach Gibbs moment:

I always loved Coach Gibbs’ laugh. He has a great laugh. He would always come into team meetings and remind us that we could be doing something else, and we should be thankful that we get to play the game that we love and get paid to do it. How many people on earth can say they are working in a job that pays them a lot of money that they actually love? Coach reminded us that we get to play a game that we loved growing up as a kid, so why not make the most of it? That always stuck with me because it’s true.

Talking about what he’s up to now and plans for the future:

When I was with the Oakland Raiders I was arguably having my best season as a pro, and we were rolling in our division and were on track to make the play-offs and host a play-off game when I broke my collar-bone. When I got hurt, Oakland traded for Carson Palmer and it was tough, but I know that through tough times there are also brighter days ahead.

I am playing for the Chicago Bears this season and right now I’m working out in Chicago, and know that I have to accept a back-up role until I get myself going again. Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward, so I am trying to make the most out of it and be as positive as I can for this new opportunity.

My health is good and my shoulder is a lot better, I just have to continue to keep pushing forward.

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Why are we so drawn to sports? Sports bring people together with the thrill of victory or the agony of defeat like few other things can.  It is the impact of this shared identity that brings people together- people who otherwise may have nothing in common.

Sports remind us that we long to be part of something bigger than ourselves.  Watching a game and cheering for a team tells of victory and glory just as much as it tells of loss and failure.  Regardless of whether your team wins, it isn’t simply based on a record or of physical prowess, but of mental strength, determination and the human heart- of not surrendering to the chaos, but of accepting and overcoming it.  We all love a good story and the record books are simply numbers that fail to paint the whole picture.  The stories behind those numbers are much deeper.

If you look at the record book and read the outcome of the Washington Redskins game with the Buffalo Bills on December 2, 2007, you will read 17-16 loss.   But what you won’t read is how the Redskins played one man down to honor Sean and fought back all game despite the tears welling up in their eyes and coming face to face with the reality that Sean was never going to walk back into the locker room.  Those guys fought and competed and didn’t give up despite the draining, emotional, and hard circumstances.  That is the real story- a story of perseverance and heart- because the final score never tells what happened between the whistles.

Sports promise greatness yet remind us of our humanity.  Defeat reminds us that everyone fails. Upsets remind us that anything is possible. And blown calls force us to remember that we can’t control most things in life, however, we can control our attitude and response.

But the seeming unpredictability and randomness of the game is exactly what makes it great.  If we could control all the conditions, people and variables then the outcome becomes predictable and the adventure is lost.  The same thing applies to the way that we were created.

We were created to follow.  Just like individual players on a team are not nearly as effective if they go out on the field and do whatever they think they should do to win the game.  That type of mindset or behavior would lead to complete chaos because no matter how talented each individual is; both the team and each individual player are not going to reach their full potential without a coach to lead them.  Those same players thrive within a team system and are able to do what they couldn’t do alone.

Just like the team suffers when players fail to follow, all of life suffers when we fail to follow Christ.

Jesus called his first disciples with the simple phrase, “Come, follow me” (Matthew 4:19). When Jesus called his first disciples they were at their job fishing. Yet Jesus had something much greater in store for them but first they had to let go of their old life and way of doing things.  Peter and John could have said, “I can’t just stop fishing, this is my job and it’s what I know.  This is where my family is and I just can’t do that right now.” Think of how much they would have missed had they said no or not right now.

The disciples were far from perfect people.  Peter, Andrew, James and John were simply fisherman. Fishermen were simply people and were not seen by the world as anything special. They didn’t have a lot to offer according to the world’s standards and weren’t known for their excellent speaking or teaching ability or for their esteemed place in society.  They were ordinary people who simply responded to Jesus’ call.

We are invited to do the same and come as we are- messy, weary, burdened, shameful, depressed, angry and overwhelmed.  Life is hard and God never promised that following Him would be easy or that it would mean a pain-free, worry-free, comfortable life.  But Jesus does promise that this is not the end and that death will have no victory, for He has defeated death (1 Corinthians 15:55-57).

We are tired and disillusioned- addicted to what we thought would liberate us and weary of working towards an end that only leads to more emptiness.  If independence were all it’s cracked up to be, you would think that our lead-your-own-life culture would be overwhelmed by joy.  Yet we have never been more unsatisfied.

You were created for more.  Join us on this journey as we look at what it means to follow Jesus and trust Him with our lives.

Clinton Portis and Sean Taylor were stars at the University of Miami before their paths crossed again with the Washington Redskins.  Portis led Miami to a National Championship in 2001, and was the the second true freshman to start at running back for Miami since the 1975 season.  Portis was then drafted by the Denver Broncos where he rushed for over 1,500 yards in each of his first two seasons before he was traded to the Redskins in 2004.  Portis was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and was one of the best running backs to play for the revered Redskins.

Taylor was a free safety and consensus All-American for the University of Miami before he was drafted in the first round (5th overall) by the Redskins in 2004.  Due to his ferocious hits, Taylor’s teammates nicknamed him “Meast,” a portmanteau word from the expression “half man, half beast,” and in 2007, Sports Illustrated named Taylor the hardest-hitting player in the NFL.

Taylor died on November 27, 2007, from critical injuries after he was shot by intruders in his Miami area home. Taylor’s tragic death left his team in tears and a league in mourning. Portis talks about his friendship with Taylor as well as what it was like dealing with the loss of his teammate and best friend.

Run to the national championship with Miami and Coach Davis:

Coach Davis was the coach that brought me to Miami and he was a great coach.  It’s unfortunate that his time ended abruptly at UNC-Chapel Hill, because I thought they were going to be a national contender last year.  I have the greatest respect for Coach Davis, Coach Coker and the other Miami coaches.

Coming into Miami with the class that we had and seeing where everyone is today is really something special.  I came in with Andre Johnson, Ken Dorsey, Bryant McKinnie, Vernon Cary, Phillip Buchanan and Vince Wilfork in the 1999 recruiting class.

My freshmen year we competed in every game and lost to the traditional powerhouses like Florida State, Virginia Tech and Penn State at the time, but we were in every game and lost in the last couple minutes. The defining moment for us as a team was during my sophomore year when we were finally ranked in the top 5 nationally, and we took a trip out to the west coast and lost to the Washington Huskies.  At that moment everyone realized that no one was going to bow down to us, no one was afraid of us, and anyone could beat us if we walked in thinking that our opponents would just back down because we were the University of Miami.  After that game we never lost again.  Everyone on that team made up their mind that we were not going to lose again.  We were cheated out of going to the national championship game that year and ended up beating Florida in the Sugar Bowl.  As a team we were upset with the BCS system because the BCS put Florida State ahead of us and we had beaten them that season.  After that happened we realized that we couldn’t leave our national championship hopes in the hands of the BCS system, we had to just outright win so there could be no debate.

The chase my junior year was unreal and we had a couple of really close games but we never lost sight of the ultimate goal.  It was tough but it was outstanding to be a part of that chase.

Sean came to Miami after me, and he played both running back and safety at the high school level.  I remember thinking, “This kid, Sean, is tight at running back!” But Sean didn’t want to play running back- he wanted to play safety.  I thought he was crazy for wanting to play safety but it turned out that he was one of the best safeties to play the game so I would say he made the right decision.

Taking about the dynamic between the older and younger players at Miami:

There was definitely a team camaraderie between the guys so I think it made for an easier transition for the younger players from high school to college.  We knew Sean was a hard worker coming in and the older guys always tried to recruit the younger guys for the “track team”.  We wanted them to come out, run track and participate with us to help make the transition easier and in turn they feel like part of the team.

By the time Sean came in, all we did was play basketball.  In the off-season you would find our whole team in the gym playing basketball and working out to build that brotherhood.

Talking about playing for Coach Gibbs:

It was the best thing that ever happened to me.  But I will say that Gibbs ran us into the ground!  Coach Gibbs taught me how to become a man and to take responsibility for your actions both on and off the field.   I have the greatest respect for him as a person and all the hard work and dedication that he put in- not only as a coach, but also as a mentor and friend.  He would always give his honest opinion and had the ability to talk to you without being judgmental.  He cared about his players more as people then he did about us winning games.   Don’t get me wrong…he loved winning too.  He got the best out of you when it came to football, but I think it came from how much his players respected him as a person.

I think the defining Coach Gibbs moment for me was seeing how he handled the tragedy with Sean.  At that moment you realized it wasn’t about football with him, but it was about something so much bigger. We saw as a team how much his faith anchored him in all he did.

Talking about his relationship with Sean:

I kept pushing Coach Gibbs to draft Sean Taylor to the Redskins.  People didn’t realize how talented and gifted Sean was because he wasn’t a media darling all the time.  He was much quieter and kept to himself. 

The way that Sean developed as a player and how he grew to trust Coach Gibbs was just outstanding.  He never complained and always worked hard.  For example, if it was hot outside then he would go outside and run in a full sweat suit, and if it was cold outside then he would come out in shorts and a t-shirt and fight through the chills.  You would never hear Sean give excuses.  I remember one day I came in to work out and Sean was there and was wearing jeans, flip-flops and a sweater.  Sean said that he would run with me so I didn’t have to work out by myself.  Sean ran 100’s with me, and as we were running he told me that he had already worked out twice that day.  Sean had run with every group that came in to work out that day.  He was just that kind of guy.

Sean was on his way to becoming one of the best defensive players to ever play the game. He left his mark on the league for the short time he was here, and it’s hard to imagine the player he could have become because he was that talented.

Talking about what was going through his mind when he flew down to see Sean in the hospital:

I remember getting a call from a friend who told me that Sean was shot, so I flew down to Miami and saw Sean in the hospital. I really thought that Sean was going to get better because his vital signs were strong and the doctors felt good about his recovery. 

I remember getting a knock on my door at 6 a.m. and I could tell as soon as I saw Mr. Snyder’s [owner of the Redskins] face through the peephole that this was not the news I wanted to hear.   I opened the door and Mr. Snyder was crying, and before he could say anything I said, “Don’t tell me that.”

And Mr. Snyder replied, “He’s gone.”

I felt like this was all a bad dream because it was such a shock.  There is so much that goes through your mind when you get news like that.  When you start to reflect on your last moments or last conversation with a person that you love and lost, you feel like there is so much left unsaid and it kills you.

The week before Sean died, my first son was born and our last conversation was me telling him that I had a son, and how blessed I felt to be a dad.  Sean also had a little girl and he felt the same way about being a parent.

You never think that you’re going to have a last conversation with a person you love.  I still remember Sean walking out of the locker room when we were leaving to go to Tampa [Sean didn't travel because he was injured], and it was impossible to imagine returning home and Sean not being there.

Everything that happens in life happens for a reason.  The huge contracts that you see today in the NFL would have happened a long time ago because the highest paid player in the league would have been Sean Taylor, and the best player in the league would have been Sean Taylor.  There really was no other competition. I’ve played with and seen a lot of talented guys, but hands down anyone who played with or against Sean Taylor knew that he was the best player on the field.

Talking about how the team coped and came together after Sean’s death:

The team was completely devastated.  So many players elevated their game, and we as a team had to carry one another.  We came back and had to play Buffalo that next week with heavy hearts and heavy eyes, and we started the game with ten men on the field in honor of Sean. We lost that first game against Buffalo without Sean but we didn’t lose again after that because we all had this attitude of “I can give a little more.”

My pre-game ritual involved getting pumped up with Sean and Santana. Sean and I would talk, compete and argue about which one of us was going to have the best knock-out blow, and that was how we would hyped for the game.  We were the leaders of that team so our energy set the tone for the team. 

Football takes a lot of faith because there are so many ups and downs that come with this game.  When it’s bad, it’s not really as bad as it may seem, and when it’s good, you’re not as good as you may think.  You have to find steady ground through both wins and losses, and not let yourself get too down or too high.  Coach Gibbs always kept us on steady ground.

Talking about what he’s currently up to:

 Right now I am just training and hoping to return to the NFL, but if that doesn’t happen then I am going to keep myself in shape so I look good on a TV set somewhere!  I think being away from football for a year has given me the chance to sit back and find a new love and appreciation for the game.  I definitely miss it and feel like I have a lot left to give.

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It’s a tumultuous venture, this idea of walking by faith. Perry talks about the many times in his life where he had no idea what God was doing, or why God allowed (or allows) certain things to happen. At one time or another everyone will encounter the completely unexpected followed by the unthinkable. When that happens, the weight of it all brings you to your knees, able to only utter one word-“Why?”

It is an intense battle when you’re overwhelmed. There is a range of emotions starting with shock, anger and sadness, then comes the denial that, “This can’t actually be what a loving God has for me- if He calls me His beloved child then why is this happening?”

Oftentimes I survey the situation and know that there must be other options- better ones that God just doesn’t see. In Perry’s story and in his life, do you think his testimony of Jesus’ faithfulness and goodness despite what he has endured and is going through would be nearly as powerful if everything had gone according to what Perry wanted? No, because the brokenness and pain that we experience here on earth draws us closer to Christ and deepens our faith. The brokenness we experience causes us to loosen our grasp on the things in our lives that don’t really matter.

God’s plan is for our salvation. God is in the details. God is for us and He has paid the ultimate price for us. There is no such thing as God being almost in control…He is completely in control.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

I encourage you to look and study the character of God, how He acts and how He loves and fights for His people. It is time to get off the sidelines and into the game, and the Bible is our ultimate playbook.

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I had the pleasure of interviewing former Clemson All-American and national champion Perry Tuttle.  Tuttle was a first round draft pick in the 1982 NFL draft and played 10 years of professional football (NFL & CFL). Tuttle will always be remembered for his game-winning touchdown in the 1982 Orange Bowl where the Tigers defeated the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the National Championship. He remains the only Clemson athlete to ever appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Tuttle is currently suffering from a condition that is causing him to go blind, but this diagnosis doesn’t stop him from living life to the full.  Tuttle talks about his family and the responsibility of raising six children, his past financial hardships, his favorite moments from his time at Clemson and his current health condition.

Tuttle is a riveting storyteller and a talented football player, but most importantly an amazing person.

Talking about his current job:

About 75% of my time I am a dad and a husband, but when it comes to a career I am an author, speaker and chaplain for the Charlotte Bobcats.  I also do some consulting as well.

Talking about his childhood:

I am the youngest of seven, and grew up right outside Winston Salem, NC.  I don’t know if anyone has better brothers and sisters than I do.  My mom, even to this day, is the closest thing I have to heaven.  She used to pray all the time for me, especially after my high school football games, and I would hear her pray specifically for my future wife.  I remember thinking, “I am not ever going to get married! Why would I get married?” But she prayed anyway and was just an incredible, Godly woman.  My dad on the other hand, was in and out of trouble all the time, whether it was prison or just heavy drinking.  The older I got the more I resented my dad.  My first few years of little league football my mom would take me to Lexington State Prison and I used to sit on my dad’s lap after every game and I thought that was normal.

A reporter called me a while back and asked me, “What is your favorite memory of your greatest football game ever?” He was thinking that it was going to be the National Championship game where I scored the winning touchdown or my first game in the NFL with the Buffalo Bill’s, but it was actually in the 6th grade when my dad came home early from prison because of good behavior.  He came home on a weekend and was able to come to one of my football games.  I scored four touchdowns and just went off in that game because he was in the stands.  It was incredible.

Impact of his father:

At the time, the last person I wanted to be was like my dad.  He was rude, he was verbally abusive to my mom and he was generally inconsistent.   I didn’t find out until I was in college that my dad was a great baseball player.  I’ve always loved baseball and he never once threw a baseball with me.  So with my kids, I always wanted to be the opposite of my dad.   My dad came to know the Lord later on in his life and we had a close relationship after that, but up until then I didn’t want to be anything like my father.

For me, as a father of six, I want to finish well.  My dad finished knowing the Lord but he didn’t finish well.   I like to think of it as running a race where I want to cross the finish line and break the tape with a smile on my face.  My dad limped across the finish line and I don’t want to live that way.

Talking about his brother, Eddie, and the impact of Eddie’s life:

When I was younger, we didn’t say Down syndrome, we said retarded.  Eddie was someone who could communicate very little with most people outside of my mom and me because it was hard to understand him. Eddie was my best friend and was an incredible cheerleader.  He came to all my games- from little league games to Clemson games to pro games- Eddie was there.

Eddie always protected me.  He always laughed and expected a hug no matter who you were.  Eddie taught me not to take life too seriously.  He taught me what selflessness looked like because he was so unselfish.  Eddie was my biggest cheerleader.

I remember the last day of Eddie’s life, my bride and I were at a Carolina Panther’s game and I got a call from my brother saying that Eddie was in the hospital.  We left the game immediately and rushed up to a hospital in Winston Salem and I prayed the whole way that God would allow Eddie to be alive and awake when I got there.  My parents were there, my brothers and sisters were there, and when I walked in the room Eddie and I were able to have a great conversation.  I tried to explain to Eddie the relationship between God the Father and God the Son (Jesus).  I said to Eddie, “Eddie, where is God?”  Eddie is lying in his bed and pointed up towards the ceiling.  I then said, “Eddie, where is Jesus?” And Eddie touched his heart. That day, the day Eddie died, is the same day that my dad gave his life to Christ.

I shared this with my children, and I’m not sure if it actually is going to happen this way, but the way I imagine it is when I finally get to heaven after I get a hug from Jesus, I will be looking over Jesus’ shoulder for Eddie because I know that he will be second in line.  I know this isn’t biblical but it’s just the way I imagine it happening one day.

Talking about areas where he has wrestled with God:

As a kid, I could not fathom a loving God that would allow someone like my mom to walk through the hell she went through with my dad.  I could not get my head around that.

Another big one was when I was playing professional football and I had everything I always wanted.  I wasn’t cheap but I also didn’t live super extravagantly, and I wanted to do some things with my money but a guy who was supposed to help me stole every penny.  I lost millions and that just rocked me.

As a father of six, I have struggled with coming to the reality of what the world says my kids should do and how they should live compared to what God says.  My girls are being taught to hurry up and grow up- to dress up and mature as fast as possible.  They are taught that if you are 14 years old you should dress like you are 25 and act like it too, but I want my girls to enjoy being young.  On the other hand, the very thing that society is telling my girls to do which is to grow up and mature, my boys are told the opposite.  My boys are told to go play video games and don’t grow up, don’t shake hands and don’t treat a young girl’s body with respect.  My struggle is in trying to let them go and be who they are, but I also have a responsibility as their father.  At times I feel like I am hovering, and I don’t want to hover.  It’s hard to find that balance.

Talking about areas where he has seen God’s faithfulness:

I have seen God’s faithfulness in the way that He always provides.  God’s provision even when I lost everything was just incredible.  Two law firms told my bride and me to file bankruptcy, but a Christian man told us not to file bankruptcy and instead to pay off every creditor the hundreds of thousands of dollars that we didn’t have.  We chose to honor God by not filing bankruptcy and decided to pay off every creditor. It took us 11 long years to pay off every penny.  It was really hard but I learned a lot about how good God is and I grew up a lot.  God became really, really big in my life because He was all that I had.  It is hard for me to be around people who say that they believe in Christ but don’t trust in Him and take God at His word.

We all get anxious with things whether it be our career, our spouse, our kids, our financial situation, our health etc., but the thing that I have settled with is that God is God and He doesn’t have to make sense to me. 

Talking more about how God used his financial struggles:

When I signed with the Buffalo Bills and I knew I was going to get millions one of the first things I wanted to do was to buy my mom a home.  I was showing her this gorgeous house along with a real estate agent, my sports agent and my dad who was drunk.  My mom, the real estate agent and my sports agent were downstairs while my dad and I were upstairs, and my dad says to me [referring to my sports agent], “Son, that man downstairs is a crook. Don’t you trust him.”

I said back to my dad, “Shut your mouth.  You don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

God taught me later what it means to honor your parents even if your parents are not following Christ.  My dad knew something that I didn’t and I wish I had listened.  When my dad came to know Christ years later I asked him for his forgiveness for the way I responded in that situation and that is the one thing that made him cry.

Another thing I learned through that whole situation was transparency.  I owed one creditor $86,000 and we would send a copy of our bank statement and generally $50 a month.   My wife and I did that for years and sometimes it was more and sometimes it was less.  Every creditor that I owed money to needed to get paid, so I would distribute the money that I made each month between each creditor.

I remember getting a call about three years into this whole deal from this one creditor who called me and was on speakerphone with the vice president and said, “We’ve gone after a lot of people who owe us money and you are different.  Every month you send us not only a copy of your bank statement but you may send us $50 or you may send us $1,000.  We’ve never met anyone like you and we are going to forgive your debt.”  My wife was on the phone with me and we just stood there stunned at what God had done.

There are lessons that I have learned the hard way but I have also learned how to tell when people are lying.  God has given me an ability to discern when people are hurting.

Talking about his book “What White People Want to Know About Black People but Are Afraid to Ask”

I was playing golf with some friends of mine and I was the only black guy in the group.  My buddy used the term African-American and black in the same sentence, and I started making fun of him because he didn’t know whether to say black, African-American or colored.  He then asked me, “Tutt- what do we say?”

I told those guys that they could ask me any question about the black community that they wanted to and I would try to answer their questions as we played golf.  Those guys asked me every question that they could think of for the next few hours, and I thought it was interesting and they felt relieved.

Then I invited eight of my former teammates over for dinner and told them to think of any question they wanted to know about black people.  We ate dinner and started talking at 6:30 p.m. and went well past midnight.

So I would walk into Starbucks and go up to white folks and start asking them questions about black people.   I wrote this book with over 200 questions and narrowed it down to 75.  I was just doing this for my friends and had no idea that this book was going to take me around the country.

As soon as the book was finished, John Boy and Billy, a national radio show syndicated in 30 states, called me and asked me to come on their show because they heard about my book.  I went on their show and it was such a hit that first day that they had me on their show for two weeks in a row.  Everything took off from there and I went to New York and Good Morning America, etc.

Favorite moment from Clemson:

Our coach was going to be fired after our last game in 1980.  My senior year we went 12-0 but my junior year we were 5-5 at the time and knew were going to lose our coach.  Our last game was against South Carolina- our fiercest rival and biggest game.  Everyone knew Coach Ford was going to be fired and I was one of the captains of that team and didn’t know what we were going to do without our coach.  We came out to warm-up in white uniforms but we went back to the locker room before the game started and see all these big boxes.  Coach opened up the boxes and all the uniforms were completely orange.  We all changed into these orange uniforms and went out and upset nationally ranked South Carolina that day.  That was just the beginning.

Another story that I love to tell happened before the school year even started.  Football players have to be on campus earlier than the rest of the student body to get ready for the season.  We had a shuttle bus that would take us across campus to the dining hall, but three of my teammates and I missed the last shuttle bus so we had to walk across campus.

We start walking and we’re hungry and exhausted from 2-a-days, and it’s also the first day of freshmen orientation.  We see this Japanese student standing in front of the library who looked confused and we figured that he was looking for Sikes Hall because that is where you do your registration. He walks up to us, three black guys, and very politely says, “Excuse me…excuse me, niggers. Can you tell me where Sikes Hall is?”

It was such a shock that all three of us fell down on the ground laughing because it was so funny.  The way he said it was hilarious because he didn’t have a clue what he was saying and was as polite as he could be.  It was obvious that he picked up that word from watching television and didn’t mean to be offensive.  We were laughing so hard that we just lay there on the steps of the library and he finally just walked away without getting any direction.  We couldn’t even get a word out because we were laughing so hard.

Anthony Rose, an executive at Duke Energy in Charlotte, was one of the guys with me that day. Every time we get together we talk about…”excuse me!”

Journey to the national championship- buying into the team:

At the beginning of the season we wrote “12-0, Orange Bowl, Nebraska” on the board in our locker room, and that is exactly what we did.  We went 12-0, we went to the Orange Bowl and we played Nebraska.

If you think about how long a game lasts, it’s actually only eight to 10 minutes of playing time. We bought into the mindset that each guy must give all that they can for four seconds of play. In order to be a champion there are some shoulders you have to stand on.  Coach Ford always talked about how you don’t just stand on your own trophies.

For me, Eddie was one of those shoulders I stood on, along with my 7th grade teacher and my 4th grade coach just to name a few.  Another one of those shoulders was my teammate, Carl Martin.  Every football team has a Rudy and Carl was a short, blonde-haired defensive back who knew that he wasn’t going to play on Saturday afternoons unless it was a blowout.  Since Carl was a defensive back and I was a wide receiver, we got in a fight almost everyday in practice because he would hustle every single play and I hated guys who hustled every single play.

About 20 years ago, I was speaking at a convention and Carl Martin (who is now a pastor) introduced me.  I didn’t know Carl’s story up until that day, and I wasn’t a Christian while I was in college but I knew that Carl was because he was heavily involved in FCA.  When Carl introduced me he held up an old, gray t-shirt that read, “T.S. T.S. P.T. All-American”-that stood for Too Small, Too Slow, Perry Tuttle, All-American.    He wore that t-shirt every single day under his practice pads for four years.  Carl explained to the crowd that day that he wore that t-shirt because he decided that he was too small and too slow, but he was going to make Perry Tuttle an All-American.  Carl dedicated all four years as a walk-on to make me better, and I never heard that story until 20 years later.  That is how you buy-in to a team, when each person has their role but at the time I thought it was all about me.  I thought I was good, but I learned later on that Carl Martin was so much better.

Sharing about his recent health condition:

Getting the news that I was going to go blind wasn’t an easy thing to hear. In fact, it was quite scary and still is scary that an eye surgeon told me that I would be completely blind in five years.  I am going into my 7th surgery soon and this experience has not only been painful, but the reality is I have lost most of my sight in the left eye so the surgery is to try to save as much sight as possible in my right eye.  This condition has taught me to be a better dad, to soak in as much as I can and to spend as much time as possible outside.  When you’re faced with losing your sight, it forces you to see things that you never would have seen before.

About three years ago on a Sunday night, I asked my children if they had one dream that I could fulfill before it goes dark, what would it be?  My oldest son wanted to spend time traveling with me for a whole month, my daughter who has an incredible voice wanted me to watch her sing live on a stage, another one of my daughters wanted me to see her walk down the aisle in a beautiful, white gown on her wedding day.  Those are just a few of the things that my children said, but I know that I have a short window of time and I want to make the most of it because life is too fragile.   I try not to worry about the future because God is God and He is in control.

Even though this has been extremely hard, God allows me to see things that I typically don’t see and has made me more intentional of the view.  The pain of my eyes has forced me to live higher and to laugh and enjoy all life has to offer.  The irony of it is that I don’t think I have ever been more afraid in my life, but I also don’t think I’ve ever been more intentional in what I’m doing and that is so much fun.

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Boy Scouts taught me lessons and skills that I still use today.  As I think back on my time as a Boy Scout, I remember all the invaluable things I learned along the way.

Did any of you participate in Boy Scouts or something like it? What did you learn?

1. How to be miserable…and like it- I cannot take credit for coming up with this one on my own but I completely agree.  For most of us being uncomfortable at times is part of life and learning to be cheerful in less than ideal conditions is a wonderfully freeing skill.  Life is an adventure and rarely goes as planned- but whatever happens there is always joy to be found.

2. Challenge yourself- I consider myself a slightly adventurous person but I have never been a huge risk taker.  I tend to prefer the comfortable and sticking to things that I know I can do rather than fail at something I’ve never tried.  I learned that the best way to grow as a person is to try new things- no matter your age.

3. How to tie a square knot- It’s amazing how few people can tie a good knot- let alone a square one.  If that’s you, watch this.

4. Be prepared- Boy Scouts were taught to be as well prepared as possible for any situation.  You may not be able to control your circumstances but you can control how you react.

5. Importance of community service- Service is powerful and ultimately boy scouts works because it is focused on something more than just campouts and merit badges and troop meets.  It is about being part of something bigger than you. Boy Scouts of America, after all, is an organization built upon the principles of serving others.

6. How to build and start a fire- Building a fire in less than ideal conditions involves an extreme amount of patience, practice and dedication.  If you have the determination and patience it takes to build a fire in a rainstorm, you have accomplished quite a feat.

7. How to face fear- Facing and overcoming fear is what I was continually challenged to do through Boy Scouts.  I would be thrown in an uncomfortable situation and have to respond.  I learned in the process that the fear of the unknown is often the scariest part.

8. How to respond to an emergency situation using basic first aid skills- You never known when you might need to do the Heimlich maneuver…it just might save someone’s life.

9. Appreciation for the outdoors- I feel the most alive when I am outside.  God created nature to remind us of Himself- and how big, majestic and creative He is.  Too many people these days prefer to sit indoors and watch television rather than get their hands dirty, go on a hike or sit in the sun.

10. Sticking to your word- Loyalty is an important quality in a person and following through with what you say you will do.  Let your yes be yes and your no be no.  Don’t commit to something that you know you can’t or won’t do.