Much to the relief of the BCS fat cats, over the Christmas holidays the college football world shifted its attention away from the lack of a playoff to the shocking retirement and then subsequent “indefinite leave” of Florida head coach Urban Meyer.  His declining health due to the demands and stress associated with sitting atop his profession have forced Meyer to re-evaluate his priorities in life.  And as often is the case, such evaluations reveal some ugly facts as he described in his news conference on December 27th:

It’s something that started about four years ago. It was chest pains that became rather significant two years ago. Whether it’s stress related, I was very concerned. I know there’s a great basketball coach that lost his life at Wake Forest. I started to become very alarmed with that. And then I’m a person of faith, and I just wanted to make sure I had my priorities straight. A lot of times coaches do not have their priorities straight. You put business before God and family, you have a problem.

The last sentence is especially profound.  I came to a similar realization a few years ago when I recognized my career in television sportscasting was making it difficult to be the type of husband & father that my family deserved.  Even though I often felt like the most fortunate man on the planet being paid to the do something I loved, it was coming at a very high price.  The nights & weekends when I was working made it nearly impossible to spend any quality time with the ones I loved most.  From my perspective today, it really wasn’t much of a sacrifice compared to the joy I have today investing time in the lives of my children.  But at the time, it was a gut-wrenching decision.

Apparently it was too gut-wrenching for Meyer to overcome as just hours before he was set to formally announce his retirement he attended a practice with his team and he had a change of heart.  And you’ll notice an interesting perspective he brings to the discussion in regard to his players:

I made a comment about how proud I am of this football team, the way we go about our business. To see that come out this morning, for I guess I’m a southerner now for us southerners it was kind of cold, and to see them come out with a great attitude and great work ethic and just go to work, I admire that.I know I’m dealing with some stuff, and my family comes first. That’s never been an issue. That’s non-negotiable, that I want to make sure I do right by my family. My second family are my players and our staff, and to see that was the moment.

So essentially he placed his “co-workers” on a pedestal alongside his family and their health concerns.  That’s where from a distance it would appear that he hasn’t completely re-focused his priorities.  Apparently their heartfelt hug of his crying I’ve known and worked with football coaches from the NFL down to the high school level and the 100-hour work week is an occupational hazard of that industry.  I have seen many of their families pay the price when coaches don’t make carving out time with their wives & children a top priority.  The sport can be a narcotic for some coaches that is more powerful than anything they can control.

Hopefully for Coach Meyer and his family he is able to turn to his faith in God to avoid getting squeezed by own passion for the game.