Family

Family

Fortunately, my family was very accepting of the lifestyle changes I made. My mother, she’s a fired up Jew. She hasn’t practiced her whole life, but she’s fired up about it. I told her what I was doing, what my family was doing, and that was it. I told her that my children were leaving secular school and going to a Jewish school. My mother was very supportive.

Little did I know it, but my father and I didn’t have that much time left together. He had always been so proud of the fact that I played football. He always had my football card in his pocket, my little football card. He showed it to anybody, strangers, to the point where it was embarrassing for me when I was with him. “Dad, no one needs to know,” I’d tell him, “it’s not that important. Don’t say anything.” But he was very proud.

When I discussed Judaism with my father, and the changes that I was making with my family, he said something that was very powerful. This is a guy who was the proudest father that could walk on the planet. He was more proud of my football career than anything. Giving me the once over, my father eyed my yarmulke. Then, with a warm, loving smile on his face, he told me that he’s prouder of me wearing a yarmulke than ever he’d been of my helmet. That was so powerful to me. My brother, too, the same thing. He kind of rolled his eyes, maybe thought I was a little bit meshuggeneh, but now he gets it. Now he says to me, “Man I’m so proud of being a Jew.”