Chiefster Sunday: Andy Reid and Tyreek Hill

Thinking back to last year’s draft, one of the biggest things that I remember, was the intensity of the reaction to Chiefs‘ draft pick Tyreek Hill. Many fans, at the time, decried the Chiefs willingness to overlook such a glaring sin, just to get a talented player. Though the reaction of many who felt this way, ironically, diminished as they realized just how talented he was. The truth is, that no player gets drafted without talent, but there’s a different reason Andy Reid seems to take interest in so many players with character flaws and, on Easter Sunday, it’s a very appropriate one to explore: Grace.

Whether you consider yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Atheist or whatever, the concept of Easter still holds intrigue. The idea of an innocent man, willingly, taking the punishment for somebody else‘s mistake. Grace, the idea of giving an undeserved reward, is at the heart of every branch, or off-shoot of Christianity and it’s at the heart of Andy Reid’s approach to players.

As a Mormon, Reid believes that God forgives his mistakes, even when he doesn’t deserve it. The concept of paying things forward is built into our psyche. Those who experience kindness become far more likely to show kindness to others. Reid knows what it’s like to fail as a father. No, he never punched a pregnant woman, but he became so wrapped up in his career that he neglected his family at times. He’s dealt with drug problems with two of his sons and one of them died of an overdose. As a person, I know that a child’s mistakes are not always their parent‘s fault. As a parent, I know that all parents feel responsible for their children and their problems. Reid has had to ask himself a lot of hard questions. It’s one thing to wonder what you could have done differently to win a game, quite another to wonder how you could have saved your boy.

Everybody makes mistakes, some might be judged worse than others, but that doesn’t change the fact that we’ve all done things we’re not proud of and we need forgiveness from wherever we can get it; whether that’s friends family or God.

When Andy Reid sees a kid with problems, he doesn’t see the same thing you and I might. He doesn’t see a reprobate who should be marginalized to the corners of society. He sees a young man, with his whole life ahead of him. He sees a kid who screwed up, big time, but could sure use somebody who’s willing to forgive him if he’ll just admit he was wrong and try to do better. Reid understands that Hill has tremendous potential, that has nothing to do with his performance on the football field. On an Easter Sunday when many of us are contemplating salvation, I think it’s fitting for us to remember that people are worth saving. That one mistake, however horrible, doesn’t make somebody a lost cause, and that if we receive forgiveness, we must be willing to give it too. Frankly, I’m proud that we have a coach who’s willing to give second chances and that we have an owner who’s more worried about a troubled young man than some bad press.