I came upon a heartbreaking article on Twitter about photojournalist Ted Jackson and his search for ex-NFL player Jackie Wallace. Wallace played in two super bowls during his prime and was released from the Rams 30+ years ago. When Jackson first came in contact with Wallace, it was under a freeway overpass in New Orleans where Wallace was living. After leaving the NFL, he had become homeless and battled severe drug and alcohol addictions. The article highlights his recovery and success over the years and his failures once again as he gives in to his addictions. Wallace has not been seen since July of 2017.

This article made me reflect a lot on how we treat our athletes and it’s really worth the time to read. We put professional athletes on a pedestal when they’re in the continuous spotlight, expect them to perform at their highest capacity, and even bet our livelihoods on them, and then forget about them the moment the big game ends. To think that at one point, Jackie Wallace received thunderous applause as he played on Super Bowl Sunday and then was left alone and forgotten about is sad. This article shows how fragile life can be and how easy it is to succumb to temptation when life gets hard. For Wallace, it was the death of his mother and a cousin who introduced him to crack. For us, it could be anything. Homelessness and addiction do not go hand in hand, but they certainly compliment each other.

http://www.nola.com/living/index.ssf/2018/02/jackie_wallace_ted_jackson.html#incart_2box_nola_river_orleans_news