To say that I was apprehensive about the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary about the late great Reggie White is a huge understatement. My son was also worried that ESPN would "make him look like a nut." After all, Reggie became very controversial toward the end of his great career. He even admitted that he had become a "religious fanatic." That was after his now infamous address to the Wisconsin State Legislature where he disparaged homosexuals along with his condemnation of racists. That speech cost Reggie several endorsements and while some people suggested he "walk back" some of those comments, he refused and stuck by his beliefs.
Reggie White was ordained a Baptist minister at the age of 16.
He spent a lot of time surrounded by some hard line, ultra conservative people during his formative years and his faith in God prevented him from questioning them. He later admitted he had accepted a lot of things without seeking his own opinion. After retiring from football, he spent the last few years of his life learning a lot about the Hebrew people...their language and their beliefs. That's when he began to develop his own opinions about things and for that reason I came away even more impressed with him.
I've written before about my relationship with Reggie. We became friends during his senior year at Howard High School...I was in his living room in St. Elmo when he signed a football scholarship with Tennessee. We stayed in touch while he was an All-American at Tennessee and we visited a few times after he had become an All-Pro defensive lineman in the NFL. He always greeted me with a smile and a hug. And on December 26th of 2004...the day he passed away suddenly, I went to his mother's home in East Brainerd and hugged her. Reggie had been the biggest thing in Thelma Collier's life and all of a sudden at the age of 43, he was gone.
There has never been a question about Reggie's athletic ability. He was an absolute freak in any sport he attempted to play. To watch video of his many sacks just reminded me how dominant he was on the football field. He would throw 300 pound lineman around like rag dolls as he chased down their quarterbacks. There has never been anyone better than Reggie White and there will never be anyone to equal his ability as a defensive lineman.
Reggie White is the best athlete to ever come out of Chattanooga, Tennessee....that's a given. He's among the very best people I have ever known and that too is a given. His main objective in life was to influence as many people as he could in a positive way and he influenced me more than he could ever know. Reggie...you're still the best!
* * *