Charles Barkley and H.A.

First up I was never much of a Barkley fan when he played but when he said forcefully that we should not rely on him to be a role model for our kids, I cheered!

My son is a huge basketball fan and he played for years. Thinking about his rookie year in high school will still bring a tear but as much as he admired certain player’s he was lucky enough to have a real role model, H.A. his grandfather.

My son gave the eulogy at H.A.’s funeral and his words "He had done so by living a life so consistently good and by positively impacting so many lives that all I have to do here is serve as a gentle reminder" rang true to all who knew him.

Not easy to draw a line between Barkley and H.A. but there is one. Watching Aaron Rodgers embarrass himself this week made me think of those two guys. Barkley rightly told us we were responsible for being role models for our kids, that no sports star could or should assume that responsibility.

H.A. taught that it is our responsibility to put the safety and needs of other’s first and he led by example. That is the bed rock of a role model.