Times’ review: Touchdown Alexander
Seattle Times’ Sports Editor Cathy Henkel reviews Shaun Alexander’s new book, Touchdown Jesus today. She admits to not being big on sports books, and then explains that the book “is not what I’d call a page turner” and concludes by saying “… the book will not be considered a classic.”
But in between she gives a real good idea what it’s about. Henkel is shocked to learn that Alexander was a virgin when he was married (good for him, I say) — but infinitely more shocking to me is the revelation that Alexander and his wife agreed not to kiss until their wedding. Whoa. Now that is some serious, serious self-control. Incredible.
On the football side, Alexander’s recollection of the “backstabbing” incident a couple seasons ago differs from what sportswriters recall. Writer Cecil Murphey explains that the publisher left a lot of stuff about that episode on the editing room floor.
“They cut that chapter down, took a lot of the anger out,” Murphey said of the publisher. “They thought it was just a footnote. But it is true with all of us, that revisionism of the past is very common. I will say that I believe Shaun is convinced that the way he told it to me is the way it was. We all tend to remember some things wrongly, but he would never intentionally lie.”
July 31st, 2006 at 8:41 am
I was aware of Alexander’s Christian beliefs, but I had no idea they were so stringent. This begs the question: is he considered a high character athlete?
There is no point in debating whether Alexander is a high character individual – he clearly is living his life by his values. And generally, religious athletes are considered leaders and men of high integrity (Kurt Warner, for example). But Alexander was an obvious distraction a few years ago with his “stabbed in the back” incident and, in that moment, he showed a me-first selfishness that can’t be ignored.
So, as a football player, who is the real Shaun Alexander?
August 2nd, 2006 at 12:01 am
Good questions, Andy. You might want to take a look a post from about 3 weeks which I called Good Shaun, Bad Shaun. He really can be a confusing guy to figure out…..
Thanks for visiting The Fan and sharing your thoughts.
September 4th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Hmm… it does leave one wondering about the extent of Shaun’s commitment to his faith. Reading all of this leaves me with the feeling that Shaun has a rather ‘manic’ personality, and if I were him I would hire someone (other than his brother) to manage his charities and public relations affairs. Celebrity does have a weird effect on some people, and I suspect all this fame is not easy for Shaun to hold in check. I don’t criticize him for this, but if he were my son I would tell him to pay somebody reputable to take care of those things. Shaun needs to focus on the game and his family and, of course, being a steadfast Christian (if that is what he chooses to preach).