Temple 3 - Thought, Word and Deed

For my money, the best speech of the day was from former Cowboys OT Rayfield Wright. He played on some of the greatest Dallas teams of all time. I remember those uniforms and way all of the offensive linemen came out of their stance at the same time before the snap of the ball. Tom Landry really had some genius stuff going on with that team. Wright's speech also followed the best presenter speech. His old college coach at Fort Valley State in Georgia, L.J. Lomax did the honors. Lomax is a classic old school Black man from the South who knows how to live and how to teach. His words were well chosen. His diction and cadence was perfect. So much goes into a great speech - and my expectations were for these inductions are not often met. The speeches are online at www.nfl.com.

Perhaps the most important speech was delivered by Harry Carson. Carson should have written his speech. It was discursive and redundant - but his major points are seldom heard in those circles. Carson was eligible for induction for 10+ years before being selected. (Wright has waited 22 years.) Carson began his speech by rightfully challenging the NFL and the Players Association to look after those players who are routinely credited with making the league great. Carson took these multi-billion dollar entities to task for failing to keep their end of the bargain. In many instances, it is a shame what has happened to many of the players. Aside from the debilitating physical injuries, social costs due to the lifestyle of professional sports and the premature death, the question of sweeping this hidden story under the rug emerges on a cyclical basis.

Some players have done particularly well in life after football. Jim Brown and OJ Simpson spring immediately to mind. Of course Troy Aikman, Cris Collinsworth and others have made the jump to the broadcast booth. Some like Tim Green have parlayed a legal education into a successful career as a novelist. Still, too many others have failed to seize upon the tremendous opportunities the league does offer to radically change the trajectory of one's life. Rayfield Wright seized that opportunity to taking the road less traveled. It was his deepest desire to change the trajectory of his life and that of his mother and grandmother. He was tremendously successful in doing so - and his humility in the face of his achievement was a beautiful thing.

I suppose seeing a 60 year-old man who could still pound a grizzly into submission weep like a baby as he tells his mother how deeply her roots are planted within him, and how her protective love of him allowed him to succeed was a profound demonstration of emotional courage and honesty. It was a beautiful thing.