October 18, 1999: An open letter to Chris Spielman

Seven years ago, I did do something unique. I had a letter published in Sports Illustrated. My letter had nothing to do with Kurt Warner, certainly he wrote a great story that year. I actually saw him play against the Cleveland Browns in St. Louis... it was a battle of 6 and 0 or 0 and 6.

But that really wasn't what it was about. The letter was about Chris Spielman. Chris Spielman was set to play for the Browns in 1999. He was coming back from time off with his wife while she was battling breast cancer. Spielman exhibited true heroism... the kind that you don't need to be an NFL football player for... the kind you don't need strong arms for... the kind that you need a strong heart for. After the time spent with his wife, they decided it was time for Chris to return to football. Football in Ohio, with the Cleveland Browns, who were also making a comeback. Only things didn't turn out as expected for Spielman. He was injured before the season began. The kind of injury that makes a guy that age retire.

Spielman dismissed the praise and said in a Sports Illustrated article that he felt bad for the folks who bought his jersey. I literally went on the web to purchase his jersey... knowing only what I had read. Something about his humilty touched me very deeply. I wrote as much to Sports Illustrated and it was published.

I have two Spielman jerseys actually, a home and an away.