A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver and gold. Proverbs 22:1

What Legacy would you like to leave behind for your family and friends after finishing your career? I didn’t know that the average National Football League (NFL) player’s career lasts only about three years. Tom Brady’s career is well above average when considering the average career. I wonder how Tom Brady will be remembered. Will it be for his Super bowl Wins or “Deflategate?”

This Sunday is the biggest unofficial holiday in America: Super Bowl Sunday. I used to get a little depressed after the Super Bowl because it marked the end of the season. It wouldn’t be until late summer that football would return. And yet, this year, it’s not the Super Bowl to me, but more like the “whatever” bowl. Like many American citizens and veterans, I was “so done” with the NFL this season. I watch football as a fun diversion from hearing about drug use, spousal and child abuse, shootings, agendas and protests. This year I only watched a little NFL on Thanksgiving, and flipped through a couple playoff games. I did, however watch a lot of college football — I am from the heart of the SEC. And I enjoyed it much more than any NFL game because it was a fun diversion from life’s cares.

I thought I might have put the NFL’s lack of taking a stand for our country behind me. I mean it is the National Football League. Why wouldn’t its players respect our national anthem? Yes, I thought I might put that controversy behind me and be able to enjoy the Super Bowl. And then, I heard about the World War II veterans called American Veterans — also known as AMVETS — who submitted an ad to be placed in the programs for Super Bowl LII. I didn’t know there were Super Bowl programs, only being familiar with it from watching on TV. The ad features soldiers holding the American flag with the text “#PleaseStand” and asked for donations to help veterans at the bottom. The ad was referencing when NFL players who chose to kneel as protest during the National Anthem.

While the ad was accepted by the NHL and the NBA, the NFL rejected the submission because it made a political statement. However, in the past, there have been Super Bowl ads that were very political during 2017. I don’t think I am alone to question the NFL’s sudden decision not to be political. Should a professional football player be expected to maintain a higher standard of conduct than the average American? The next generation will not remember the ranking of a player as much as they will recall his attitudes and comments made or how he lived his personal and family life. It is your name on the back of the jersey.

JOHN MOXLEY can be reached at Jmoxley1@juno.com.