Many young boys fantasize about playing professional sports and I was no different. During most of my youth, my singular focus was to become an NFL quarterback. The closest I got to this dream was being a backup signal caller for the University of Michigan – closer than some, but still well short.
Khari Willis, a star safety for the Indianapolis Colts, was living his dream. He had established himself as a vital piece of Indy’s secondary and was entering the fourth and final season of his rookie contract – which would have guaranteed him $2.54 million in base salary.
Free agency next summer would likely have been even more lucrative for the young man, given how much value he provided the Colts during his first three seasons. Yet, despite the money and the fame, Willis retired from professional football earlier this summer. His reason? To answer a higher calling from God.
In his statement, Willis announced, “with much prayer and deliberation, I have elected to officially retire from the NFL as I endeavor to devote the remainder of my life to the further advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
This news shocked football fans from around the country. Others were saddened, asking aloud: “how can a pro football player quit in his prime?”
With complete confidence in his voice and assuredness in his eyes, Willis beautifully addressed this question stating, “this is the prime of my life, and I want to make sure I spend my prime serving God in every capacity until I take my last breath.”
What more could we possibly want from a young man in our society than to watch him set the spiritual wellbeing of himself and the people around him as his first priority?
While rare, Willis is far from the first professional athlete to exit the arena early for a superior pursuit. In 2001, Oakland Raiders star running back Napoleon Kaufman, who frequently baptized teammates in the team’s whirlpool, abruptly retired to found a church and become a minister.
Buffalo Bills offensive lineman Brad Butler and San Francisco 49ers running back Glen Coffee both retired from the NFL to serve God and country. Players Ken Hutcherson and Miles McPherson also turned their attention away from the gridiron and towards the Gospel.
And of course this list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning Pat Tillman, who turned down $3.6 million from the Arizona Cardinals in favor of joining the Army Rangers following the attacks of September 11, 2001. That decision resulted in Pat Tillman paying the ultimate sacrifice for America in Afghanistan.
In an era where so many professional athletes are celebrated for their egotism and boastful swagger, it’s refreshing to witness successful men humble themselves. Not everyone needs to leave their current occupation to be wholly integrated as a person or fully dedicated to God, but for those who do feel called to make a change, it’s inspiring to know this is possible even when there are millions of dollars at stake.
There’s no amount of professional achievement that can fill the void created by a broken spirit – regardless of religious beliefs, political affiliation, or nationality.
While the Indianapolis Colts will need to look elsewhere for defensive contributions this season, the citizens of Jackson, Michigan, Willis’s hometown – a community I got to know well during my time in the state – are better off thanks to this young man’s willingness to look upward rather than inward.
Let Khari’s story be a lesson to us all. When God calls – answer.
David Cone is a co-host and producer of the Daily Wire’s sports show Crain & Company, as well as a contributor to Morning Wire. David is also a former quarterback for the University of Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @davidadamcone
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and not necessarily those of The Daily Wire.