Dear Donovan McNabb,
I would like to publicly apologize for the whipping you received last night while playing for the Chicago Bears. We appreciate your sportsmanship and feel like your team really tried, unfortunately, there is only one winner. Thanks for a good game but there was an event that I am sure hurt more than such a devastating defeat, which was when your mother walked out of the game. As an on-looker, I felt stabbed by this.
Ladies and Gentlemen, how would you feel if your mother gave up on you and left a game just when you needed her support the most. You'd feel crushed, right? I was hurt just watching her walk out of the stadium shaking her head in disbelief. Now if that were my mother and I were on the sidelines I would've ran up there and stopped her. It had to have been embarrassing and ego crushing to watch.
I met Mr. McNabb's father a few weeks ago at the Young and Powerful for Obama Fundraiser and Awards ceremony a few weeks ago where Demi Lobo and oddly Israel Idonije were honored. He was a very nice man and absolutely proud of his son. His wife and mother said a few good things and you could tell that they all were a nice and close knit family. Although, he himself wasn't present, I felt the love!
Yet, I still can not fathom what would possess his mother to leave? Is that a normal thing for a mom to do? When you go to games and see kids playing, the mom and dad will stay to the end and cheer for their kid even if all they're doing is practicing swinging their legs on the bench. That's called support. It's a time in life when a child learns that I may not win everything but at least I know mom and dad will still be proud of me if I give my all.
Now I know Donovan McNabb is a grown man and his parents have seen the good and bad times come and go and may be extra comfortable with his career, so much so that they are willing to walk out and leave before the game is OFFICIALLY over. Yet, he is still THEIR child. Like the old saying goes... no matter how old you get you're never older than your mom and you will always be a kid to her. With that in mind, shame on you mom for publicly giving up on your son.
I know, I know! What if she was sick and had to leave because it was cold or what not. SO! Tough it out. I've had plenty of events where my mom and or dad were sick as a 90 year old dog on life support (dad suffered from Cancer and Mom was fighting diabetic problems) but they were right there and didn't give up on me. I was a center in the 8th grade for my elementary school basket ball team and I was the epitome of talent-less. My parents were there for every game even though they knew I would NEVER play but one day I did. The coach put me in because we were losing so bad that nothing was at stake. I SCORED!
What if my parents gave up and didn't come to my games after they realized I was a bench warmer? Up until the day my dad died that was one of his proudest moments as a father.
I say all of that to say ..... Don't give up on your kids folks, and Mr. Donovan McNabb, I am sorry! Even I didn't give up on you and you were playing my FAVORITE TEAM!
Filed under: News & Opinions, Sports
