Editor’s note: Rookie cornerback Domonique Foxworth, whom the Broncos drafted in the third round this year, will share his thoughts and experiences with readers in a weekly journal during the preseason. Foxworth was a three-year starter at Maryland, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies and graduated in 3 1/2 years.
All competitions I have ever entered I have expected to win. Saturday’s game against the 49ers was no different. While I anticipate having a celebratory postgame meal with my family, I have learned that is not always the case. Sometimes my team and I are not victorious. Going into the game against the 49ers, I believed a somber postgame meal after a loss was the worst possible conclusion to the evening.
But I was wrong.
The worst possible conclusion came unexpectedly when I learned Thomas Herrion, a 49ers offensive lineman, passed away after the game. Upon hearing news of this tragedy, I realized that all athletes know how to cope with losing a game, but none of us is prepared to lose our lives. Heartbreaking events like this one put everything in perspective. It reminds us that nothing is promised, not even to a 23-year-old professional football player.
The objects we revere as a society are of relative importance when weighed against the value of human life. Luxury cars, big houses and designer clothes become meaningless in the wake of Herrion’s death.
What was most evident throughout the weekend was the immeasurable worth of human life. Which is why Broncos tight end Stephen Alexander’s son’s birth on the same day takes on greater significance. I am truly happy for Stephen and his family as my sympathies go out to Herrion’s family and the San Francisco 49ers.
