We ‘oooh’ and ‘aaah’ when they do something spectacular on our TV screens. We quickly take to social media to criticize when they screw up, and are too often unnecessarily cruel while doing it.
What we too often overlook is that NFL players, or professional athletes in general, are just people. Like you and me. They have struggles in their daily lives. Like you and me. They have family members who have struggles with illness or other issues. Like you and me. Many of them come from difficult backgrounds, and have experienced struggles that those of us who — fortunately — had a different experience can’t begin to understand.