Tom Brady and a Man’s Motivation

 

Dan Patrick and Nick Wright and a Man’s Motivation

As Patrick and Wright discussed Brady’s retirement (full audio down below), Wright strongly suggested that Brady does not want to retire. He basically blamed Brady’s retirement on his wife Gisele. Regarding whether it was wise or unwise, Wright made the following statement:

If someone that you really love and care about had pushed you and pushed you to walk away from your career when you wanted to keep going, don’t you think that would cause some tension? Ripped, like that would be something that would be hard to get over? It would be for me.

To Dan Patrick’s credit, he immediately responded:

No, because it happened to me at ESPN. I was going to sign a 5-year deal. And, that morning, my wife said, you know the kids are going to be all out of the house when this deal is done…. She did me a favor.

Please don’t miss this. Wright suggested that it was selfish for Brady’s family to want him at home. He suggested that Brady should keep playing since he was good and had a goal of playing until he was 45-years-old, which would be next year. Wright suggests because, reading between the lines from Brady’s interviews and statement, Gisele wanted him to retire and come home to her and their children.

Wright essentially says that Brady should not be motivated by his wife and family.

What Should Motivate a Man?

Let me suggest that if he retired because his wife asked him to do so, that is a great motivation. If she wanted him to be around for the children, that is great. I would be the first to stand and applaud him. We do not know. This is all speculation at this point since Brady has not shared all of his reasoning (his tweet feed is below). However, the question we should at least review is this: what should motivate a man in a situation like this? Further, Is it selfish for his family to ask him to retire?

1. Love of God and love of neighbor (Matt 22:37-40; 2 Cor 5:14-15).

The first and second great commandments speak to our love for God and others. As we have discussed many times on this blog, it is essential that we love God supremely and our neighbor sincerely. With a decision like this, we must consider how best to love God and neighbor. In this scenario, the neighbor is his wife and family.

2. A desire to walk in wisdom (James 3:13-18)

As a man who desires to walk in wisdom and follow after Christ, we must be motivated by wisdom from above not wisdom from below. Wisdom from below flows out of a selfish heart. Wisdom from below desires what is earthly, sensual, and evil. In this incidence, choosing what you want simply because you want it and to simply get another accolade would reflect wisdom from below. However, “wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, …” Willing to yield specifically means that one listens to another person’s reasoning and desires to yield if possible. Again, in this incidence, if Tom Brady chose to follow his wife’s desires over even his own, that would demonstrate that he was willing to yield.

3. A desire to do good works for the Lord (Eph 2:8-10; 2 Cor 5:9)

The Apostle Paul suggests that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ unto good works in which we should walk. This is one of many passages that press us men as followers of Christ to do what God desires. As disciples, we should and should want to do good works for Christ. If the decision to retire does not commit a sin and seems wise for his family, then it would reflect this desire.

To be clear, I am not saying that Brady was or was not motivated by any of the three motivations that I have listed here. However, for you, the follower of Christ, you can take the moment in his life and career and use it to your advantage to think deeper about your own personal motivation in life.

Would It Be Wise to Retire?

With the proper motivation, there are three questions to consider as to whether or not the decision in front of you is a good one or a bad one.

1. Is God against it or for it? In other words, does God command you in this moment of decision to either overtly do something or not do something? Is it a sin? It is commanded where it would be a sin if you choose not to do it? At this level, you will want to check your motivation carefully.
2.  Is it wise for me and those whom this decision effects? In other words, does this decision represent biblical wisdom? Would you be wise or foolish if you choose this path? What biblical principles determine whether you would be wise or foolish? In this step, you are seeking to determine its core wisdom value.
3. What do I want to do? If you both determine what options in front of you both honor the Lord and are wise, then you should consider the best options available. What do you want to do? What are your desires? In many situations, you will want to consider here, What do those in my family want?

Playing out the retirement scenario: God is neither for or against playing another year. The Bible does not speak to this. On the first level, a good motivational check is necessary. If you pass that test, then on to question two. Is this wise? How will this affect those around me? This is an issue of wisdom versus folly. If you decide that it is wise, then the final question relates to what you want to do. What does the family want? Is it possible to do both? Compromise? Or, otherwise, what do I think is the best choice?

All along the way, you want to pray for God’s wisdom, providential help, and a willingness to obey God. Further, you may need to ask a friend as you consider the decision as well.