Hanging in my closet right now is a Colts jersey adorned with the No. 88 and the name “Harrison.”
You see, a few years ago, my wife talked me into getting myself a Colts jersey for my birthday. I had wanted one for awhile, but never wanted to spend the money for a “real” jersey and was too good for one of the cheap replica jerseys.
Anyway, I went to the Colts pro shop and looked at the available jerseys and decided on Marvin Harrison’s. I suppose my choice had a lot to do with the perception of Harrison as a quiet guy who just went out and did his job … better than anybody else in the league.
143 receptions in one season, still an NFL record. A sure-fire Hall of Famer, right?
Then came that pesky business when a guy was shot in Philadelphia, Harrison’s hometown, allegedly with a gun owned by Harrison.
So much for that quiet, unassuming guy who just went out and did his job.
That’s the challenge of admiring someone you don’t know. Whether it’s a great athlete or a great writer or a great musician or some other type of celebrity … you never know what’s really going on in their life.
Charles Barkley famously pointed out in a TV commercial some 20 years ago that he was not a role model.
Heck, who is anymore?
Maybe we need to be our own role models.