Newly-signed Seahawks tailback Edgerrin James, who has churned out more rushing yards in NFL history than all but ten other men, recently spoke with Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports regarding some serious offseason challenges in his personal life.
In March, the mother of his four children, Andia Wilson, died of leukemia.
And so James is now committed to raising his kids, all of whom are under the age of 12. He declined an invitation to join the Seahawks on Monday, August 24, because it was the first day of school.
“I had to be there,” he told Silver. “There was no leaving.”
James also said that he wouldn’t have continued his career if his oldest daughter wasn’t on board with the move.
“As football players, we’re so programmed to do well in our job that sometimes we forget about our house,” James said. “I look at my mom, who’s helping with my kids, and then I look at them. My kids don’t have that mom. When you really think of it like that -- damn, it’s heavy.
“If my daughter would’ve said, ‘Daddy, I don’t want you to go play,’ then 100 percent guaranteed I wouldn’t be playing. I’ve gotten to enjoy so many things, but right now it’s time to be a parent first, and I don’t want to blow it.”
We suggest that everyone out there read the full article, and consider very carefully the example James is setting for the rest of us.
And even the biggest, strongest, and toughest members of the audience would be wise to have a box of tissues nearby.
