prasad1
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This story is not about Tamil or Brahmin. It is story about a special Human being.
Jason Wright passes up NFL contract to attend business school
By Sean Jensen, Yahoo! Contributor Network – special to Yahoo! SportsSep 20, 10:19 pm EDT
In late December, Jason Wright(notes) reached a career crossroad, one flush with two amazing opportunities. Down one path was a full scholarship to the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business that would prepare him to empower inner-city children, perhaps someday allowing him to open a charter school. Down a second path was a contract with the Arizona Cardinals - worth more than $1 million a season - that would financially help his family and continue the dream of many to play in the country's most popular sport.
After agent Mike McCartney informed the Cardinals that Wright was retiring, general manager Rod Graves insisted he would improve on the running back's previous contract, which was for two years at $2 million. But in making the decision, the Northwestern graduate questioned himself.
"That was the thing that was on my mind, the biggest hiccup," says Wright, who spent seven seasons in the NFL. "What's the motive behind me playing longer? What is it in there that draws me? So people would know my name?
"For me, it was superficial. For me and my family, and our belief in God, it wasn't a good enough motivation."
Wright, 29, doesn't know what his future holds, but he may work with disadvantaged youth, an inclination inspired by his and his wife's work in the past couple of years with three young women, including a homeless one they invited in their home.
Five-time Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald(notes), "He's one of the best teammates I've ever had," Fitzgerald says. "But Jason has a higher calling, and he goes by the Lord's plan. As a friend and a Christian, I admire his courage.
"Going back to school, and having his first baby; all this is brand new. But it takes a lot of courage."
Wright, who plans to get his MBA and a degree in public policy within the next three years, made about $4.5 million while playing in the NFL. But the Wrights lived modestly, spending about $12,000 on their wedding and passing on some staples of the NFL life, including expensive purses and luxury cars.
But the only cause for pause when the Cardinals made the final offer was the World Vision pamphlet laying around their three-bedroom home in Arizona.
"We could give away two or three wells instead of one," Tiffany says, referring to water wells.
"There's no doubt he's working through us, because we're not that great."
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ycn-9159265
I still can not fathom doing that kind of sacrifice. I am humbled, and feel very small.
Jason Wright passes up NFL contract to attend business school
By Sean Jensen, Yahoo! Contributor Network – special to Yahoo! SportsSep 20, 10:19 pm EDT
In late December, Jason Wright(notes) reached a career crossroad, one flush with two amazing opportunities. Down one path was a full scholarship to the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business that would prepare him to empower inner-city children, perhaps someday allowing him to open a charter school. Down a second path was a contract with the Arizona Cardinals - worth more than $1 million a season - that would financially help his family and continue the dream of many to play in the country's most popular sport.
After agent Mike McCartney informed the Cardinals that Wright was retiring, general manager Rod Graves insisted he would improve on the running back's previous contract, which was for two years at $2 million. But in making the decision, the Northwestern graduate questioned himself.
"That was the thing that was on my mind, the biggest hiccup," says Wright, who spent seven seasons in the NFL. "What's the motive behind me playing longer? What is it in there that draws me? So people would know my name?
"For me, it was superficial. For me and my family, and our belief in God, it wasn't a good enough motivation."
Wright, 29, doesn't know what his future holds, but he may work with disadvantaged youth, an inclination inspired by his and his wife's work in the past couple of years with three young women, including a homeless one they invited in their home.
Five-time Pro Bowl receiver Larry Fitzgerald(notes), "He's one of the best teammates I've ever had," Fitzgerald says. "But Jason has a higher calling, and he goes by the Lord's plan. As a friend and a Christian, I admire his courage.
"Going back to school, and having his first baby; all this is brand new. But it takes a lot of courage."
Wright, who plans to get his MBA and a degree in public policy within the next three years, made about $4.5 million while playing in the NFL. But the Wrights lived modestly, spending about $12,000 on their wedding and passing on some staples of the NFL life, including expensive purses and luxury cars.
But the only cause for pause when the Cardinals made the final offer was the World Vision pamphlet laying around their three-bedroom home in Arizona.
"We could give away two or three wells instead of one," Tiffany says, referring to water wells.
"There's no doubt he's working through us, because we're not that great."
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ycn-9159265
I still can not fathom doing that kind of sacrifice. I am humbled, and feel very small.
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