Legacy…

Where to even begin. In sports, there are so many different types of legacies that an athlete can leave behind. But a legacy isn’t built overnight and it certainly doesn‘t just show up when you decide to retire. A legacy is built starting from the moment you step onto the field. Take Mac Jones, for instance. His legacy is far from cemented but he is certainly on the path to creating a great legacy for himself. He has had a great regular season for a rookie quarterback. There are very few rookie quarterbacks who in the past have made the playoffs and even less have made the playoffs having played the majority of the regular season, at least 10 games. There have definitely been tough bumps in the road, but all in all, he has done a great job starting off his legacy strong. Brady is the example of an unbelievable legacy and he is still not done yet. He is the person who all players and quarterbacks specifically look up to and aspire to be or to leave a legacy like he will leave when he retires. Brady was an underdog when he entered the NFL, but he put in the work to be a great quarterback. He has an unbelievable ability to win a game at the last minute, most recently in the week 17 game, against the New York Jets. The Jets led the Buccaneers the entire game, but the Buccaneers and Brady didn’t give up and Brady threw a touchdown pass in the last 15 seconds of the game. It is plays like that that serve to create a wonderful legacy. However, that is not the only way that a player can create and leave a legacy. The most recent example of this has been Antonio Brown. Brown made quite the exit in week 17 during the game against the New York Jets. In the middle of the third quarter, the Buccaneers were down to the Jets, and out of nowhere, Brown begins taking off his Jersey, pads, etc. Right before exiting he danced in the end zone and then took off his tank top and gloves and tossed them to fans. The best part is that it was an away game in New York, and I doubt that any of the people who got his clothes were particularly excited about it. Now I don’t mean to diminish the career that Brown has had.

He is one incredible receiver and has certainly made a big impact on the field for the teams he has played for. For instance, in his second year in the NFL the Steelers played the Packers in the Super Bowl and Brown had the chance to win a Championship. In 2014, Brown led the NFL in receptions, 129 and also in receiving yards, 1,698. In the same year, he was selected for his first All-Pro team and during this time he was thought to be the best wide receiver in the NFL. However, a few years later things began to change off the field, and he became quite the wild card. Brown has played for a few, including the Steelers, the Raiders, and most recently the Buccaneers. However, all of the teams Brown has played for things have gone awry. From altercations with managers, coaches, players, Brown has been less than an ideal teammate for sure. Most recently, Brown was unable to support his teammates through what should not have been a difficult game at all. Since the game, Brown released a statement on his own version of what happened. He stated that his foot was injured and that the coaches told him that he had to play even though he was injured.

We will never know for sure what happened on the field that day. But what is sure is that Brown might very well have played his last NFL game on January 3rd. Brown's exit led him to be cut by the Buccaneers. Due to his track record off the field, it seems doubtful that another NFL team will pick him up. Brow has definitely had his day in the NFL but seeing as he is 33 years old and is at the end of his career it is doubtful that anyone will pick him, especially since he is such a risk off the field.

Sports teaches many life lessons, one of these is that we choose who we want to be and the impact that we want to have. In life, we get the opportunity to choose over and over again the type of life we want to lead. However, there will come a day when our past choices will choose what our future options and choices will be.

Self Destruction leads to the End of his Career- Google Images