Mixed Emotions

There is nothing wrong with caring about your favorite professional teams, but I've been obsessed this week.

The Celtics are in the playoffs (and kicking some Hawk backside). The Bengals are prepping for the NFL Draft (my favorite event that isn't a game), and the Reds fired their general manager, which has put me on the war path. Oh, and a note on the anonymous comment left on yesterday's blog - Dan O'Brien traded Sean Casey, not Wayne Krivsky.

Actually, I could probably just blog about nothing but my three teams for the next month or more, especially with all the fodder than Chad Johnson, Chris Henry, Bob Castellini and Kevin Garnett are giving me.

But the only thing I'm going to mention about sports today is the likely retirement of David Pollack.

I can't blame him for making the decision, though. David, a former first round pick of the Bengals, broke his neck while making a tackle in the first game of the 2006 season. He's been medically cleared to play, but apparently just doesn't feel comfortable in returning to the field where there is a chance that the same or a worse injury could occur. Hey, spending six months in a halo would weight heavily on your mind if you decided to play football again.

But David is a devout and active Christian. He leads Bible studies and participates in weekly Bible studies with the team and in the community. To be certain of his decision, he fasted and prayed for quite some time. I've admired David since his college years at Georgia. I can remember when the Bengals picked him. I literally jumped up and down. Not only was he a fantastic player, but he had a personality the you couldn't help but love.

Certainly, David could have been a phenomenal football player, even after his injury. I have no doubt about that. But he and his wife have their first child on the way. He surely wouldn't want to return to the game just to be injured again and never be able to hold his daughter.

Without a doubt, David loves football. I'm sure he'll stay close to the game, maybe as a coach. But it is clear to me that he knows there is more to life than football or even a job. He knows that God has great and wonderful plans for him and his family. For a lot of players, it is difficult to walk away from the game, and I'm not saying it won't be for David, but it will be a lot easier for him because he realizes that his real purpose is not to be a defensive end but a disciple for Christ.

David hasn't officially retired yet, but it Coach Marvin Lewis said that it will likely happen soon. In the meantime, I'm going to keep David in my prayers as he makes the transition away from football. As a fan, I'm sad that he's retiring. But as a brother in Christ, I am proud of him.