TERRY MOSHER
STEVE SARKISIAN
It has always puzzled me why great athletes that seem to have the world by the tail do the crazy and sometimes career-ending stuff they do. Or spend more money than they make, even when they make more than you and me and a thousand others make in a lifetime.
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson reportedly made nearly $400 million in his fighting career, purchased around 100 cars, owned numerous houses and filed for bankruptcy in 2003 and is nearly $38 million in debt.
It would seem extremely difficult to do what Iron Mike did. But he pulled it off.
I get it that it takes all kinds of characters to make up a world that includes over seven billion people, and that none of them, including me, are immune from doing stupid stuff, but I still don’t understand how those who have it all going for them – as Iron Mike did – that they still do something that causes their wonderful world to crash down and smash to smithereens.
Drugs and alcohol seem to be the key ingredient for a lot of athletes and coaches to stumble and crash. Not always, but in a lot of cases. And I understand the addiction that goes with drugs and alcohol. But, still it puzzles me why it happens over and over again that a famous athlete, or coach in the case of Steve Sarkisian, does something to jeopardize his career.
I guess the way to look at this is to put yourself in the shoes of a famous athlete and wonder what you would do given a salary of, say, $20 million a year for the next 10 years.
How would you handle that?
How would I handle it?
I have always said that if drugs were prevalent when I was a young teenager and I was given several million to play a sport I would probably had been dead by the time I was 20. I’m not sure of that, but as a teen with my background, I was more likely to do something stupid then that I wouldn’t do now and it’s possible I would not have survived.
The reason I say that is because I just shake my head every time a pro team drafts a teenager and gives him several million dollars as a signing bonus. Man, I’m thinking, that kid better have some solid advisors supporting him because if that were me who knows what would happen if I was on my own?
I would like to think now, with the advantage of having matured (at least a little) that given the same circumstances I would make sure I did nothing stupid and invested the bonus money to ensure my families’ future.
And if I had a contract that paid me $20 million a year, I certainly would walk a straight and narrow line to make sure that I was at my best at all times so I would not jeopardize that income.
So what is it with guys like Sarkisian?
Again, I understand addiction. I know what it can do to you. I smoked cigarettes when I was much, much younger. I started smoking in college back east and only did it because others around me did. Soon enough it became an addiction that I carried into my mid-20s
I broke the addiction because I don’t like to be controlled by others, or things and the cigarettes were controlling me. I would in the mornings check my supply of cigarettes and estimate how long that day they would last me before I had to resupply. That simple fact of having to worry about getting enough cigarettes to last me through the work day finally was too much for me. I hated what it was doing to me, controlling me.
So one day I said, ‘that’s enough. I’m done.’ I threw away the cigarettes I had and vowed never to smoke again.
And I didn’t. It’s been nearly 50 years now.
It wasn’t easy to shake the addiction. I would find myself involuntary reaching for a cigarette that was not there. And I ached to smoke one. But I resisted. I was tougher than the addition. My discipline was challenged, but I am stubborn and I refused to give in.
Now when I see somebody smoking – and you don’t see as many smoking as you once did – I cringe. I know what it does to your lungs.
Those of us who are old enough to remember the stand-up comedy of Bob Newhart can recall his bit where he asks Sir Walter Raleigh, “You do what? You put this leaf on this paper, roll it up, and put it between your lips. Then what do you do, Walt? You set fire to it?”
With that, Newhart breaks up.
Then you hear Newhart say again, “Then what do you do, Walt? You inhale the smoke, huh?” And Newhart breaks up laughing again, as if this was some sort of huge joke.
Finally, Newhart says, “You know, Walt … it seems you can stand in front of your fireplace and have the same thing going for you!”
As funny as this bit is, if you think about it, it is laughable and very stupid. If you inhale smoke in a house fire, you die. When you inhale smoke from a cigarette you are slowly frying your lungs and eventually you will die.
My sister Minerva smoked cigarettes for about 60 years. When she was diagnosed with cancer she finally quit. But it was too late. She beat cancer, but several years later she was diagnosed with COPD and died from the effects of it four years ago.
I can’t judge Sarkisian. He obviously has an addiction and he has other issues as well (he’s going through a divorce), but no matter what the situation, addiction, to me, comes down to a choice: Break the addition, as tough as it may be, or face losing everything you fought to build.
I had a close friend in high school. We were friends right up until he died of throat and brain cancer at the age of 53. My friend – Put – started drinking and smoking right out of high school and never quit. He spent most of his adult waking hours in a tavern drinking and smoking. People loved Put. He was a brilliant guy. But his addiction finally cost him his life. On his death bed he asked for a beer and a cigarette. Talk about being stubborn. Talk about being addicted.
I, as well as many others, hope Sarkisian gets well and continues on with his coaching career. It’s not going to be easy. And it sounds like he’s losing a lot as he battles this. That’s the ugly result of having an addiction. My friend didn’t care. He wanted to drink. He wanted to smoke and nothing was going to stop him.
Well, something did stop him.
Death.
Others like Tyson don’t lose their life. They lose their possessions, but they manage to survive and motor on. Sarkisian is just 41. He has a lot of years left to redeem himself.
I hope he does.
That’s enough meandering for today. I got to watch the Democratic debates, so I have to prepare myself for some silly stuff. It’s an addiction. I have to watch.
Be well pal.
Be careful out there.
Have a great day.
You are loved.