A tale of two quarterbacks!

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?How can you be a Florida State fan and sleep at night? they asked?

?I was raised in Tallahassee and have been a Seminole fan all my life. Plus I even have Seminole Indian in my blood? I replied.

?But Jameis Winston? How can you like him??

?I can?t stand him!? I said emphatically. ?And most of Nole nation is over him too.?

?Oh?!? Well in that case we?re good!? *slaps me on the back and laughs*

This conversation took place in the hallway of my church. Good humored and harmless. But it resonated in my mind and it echoes even more now after a massive, and embarrassing I might add, 59-20 loss to Oregon in the Rose Bowl.

We?ve lost big ones before. (We invented wide right!) No one ever likes to go home without the trophy but never before have I been a fan of a team that so many people hated. (Miami, Penn State, USC,? Ya?ll know how it feels.) I would guess that unless you wore garnet and gold, you were praying that FSU would lose. Why so much hatred? It?s never been this intense in the past. I know many people dislike winners and having claimed the Championship last year that makes us a target, but that?s not it.

It?s WINSTON!

My friends at church had never, in all the years I had known them even mentioned FSU to me, but because of the shame and bad press that Jameis Winston has brought on FSU, they spoke what the rest of the country felt. Absolute disrespect for a person and that disrespect and disgust was aimed at the school, and the fans.

?It?s not about how much money you make. It?s about how you can have an effect on somebody?s life for Christ.? That certainly isn?t a Winston quote but it did come from another FSU quarterback who like Winston played multiple sports, won a Heisman Trophy and led the Seminoles to a National Title, their first one. That?s where the similarities stop. Unlike Winston, Charlie Ward lived and played with something that is not only missing in Winston but in many people, not just athletes. It?s character and integrity.

After the Rose Bowl was over I was talking to my 8 year old son. I told him that most people were glad we lost. He looked puzzled. I explained to him that one person?s actions can effect many. (Granted, it?s not just Winston that has been in question, but it is primarily his actions.) People don?t respect a person who lives without regard for others and your actions reflect on more than just you. It?s true for everyone. People know what family you are from and when you bring shame to your name it?s tied to others so the shame is shared. This is even more important for followers of Christ. Don?t call yourself a Christian and live an immoral life. That brings shame to God. It brings shame on all Christians.

People might not have wanted FSU to win the title in 1992 but it wasn?t because of Charlie Ward?s behavior. When asked why he went to FSU, Ward answered he wanted to be close to home and ?Secondly, it was about Coach Bowden. I was attracted to his leadership, his integrity,?? Bobby Bowden wasn?t perfect, and I?m sure Charlie would say the same about himself, but they both are examples of the respect that you gain when you endeavor to live a life above reproach.

I went to school with Charlie Ward. He was a couple years ahead of me and though I didn?t know him personally, nor did I know Bobby Bowden personally, they NEVER made me embarrassed to be a Seminole Fan! In fact they along with many others made me proud to be a Nole. Now I can?t wait for Winston to leave! I get weary of the often hypocritical comments made to me about my team by opposing fans who act like their school programs are perfect. Most of the time it?s from behind a keyboard via social media. But that is exactly my point. I feel the effects of one persons actions. Just like in Joshua 7 when Achan stole and how it effected so many. In fact I?m reminded of a line of prose that illustrated this well.

?Drop a pebble in the water.
Just a splash and it?s gone.
But there?s half a million waves a circling
on and on and on.?

What you do effects others. Sometimes thousands!

I pray I can effectively teach my children by my own life and words that winning without character is the ultimate loss!