Character Matters

Former NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Kurt Busch was let go by Penske Racing after this season because of his erratic and at times disrespectful behavior toward teammates, media and others.

Former Heisman Trophy winner and national championship quarterback Tim Tebow became a star in Denver this season long before he came off the bench and led the Broncos to the NFL Playoffs after the team got off to a 1-4 start under Kyle Orton.

What do these two personalities and their recent life situations have in common?  I believe they are both strong examples that character matters.

Character can be defined as courage.  While some would argue that Tebow should tone down his displays of Christian faith on Sundays, others feel that he is a long overdue breath of fresh, honest air.  Either way, he is a leader among his Bronco teammates and a motivator on the practice field and in the game each week.  He displays tremendous character and a work ethic that has made him a role model for all ages worldwide.

Conversely, after mechanical problems with his car put him out of the season’s final race before the checkered flag flew, Busch made an inappropriate gesture to someone as he steered through the garage area.  Then he was caught on video lashing out at ESPN TV Reporter Dr. Jerry Punch in an obscenity-laced tirade about how long the network was making him wait for an interview.

What followed for Kurt was a Tiger Woods-like backlash from corporations providing sponsorship to NASCAR teams.  He was a desired candidate to replace A.J. Allmendinger in the Richard Petty Motorsports No. 43, but Petty recently said that they couldn’t pull the trigger because they couldn’t get a company to provide funding for the car to race if he was going to be the driver.

This article  isn’t about faith.  It isn’t about winning or losing or the ability to complete a pass or win a race.  It’s about one athlete who models leadership, a positive attitude and a desire to put others first versus another who was trading those character qualities for a more negative, self-centered (and self-destructive) approach.

It is not my intent to judge Kurt Busch here.  I always hold true to the belief that anyone is capable of positive change no matter what their past and I will be praying for and hoping for the best for Kurt as he attempts to rebuild his image driving for Phoenix Racing in the ‘Cup series and will be doing some racing  for his brother Kyle  in the Nationwide Series as well.  He’s had to swallow hard and take a step back but so far he seems determined (at least publicly) to be positive about it.

Tim Tebow may or may not be the starting quarterback for Denver in 2012.  He likely believes he’s at least earned the right to go into this summer’s training camp as the starter and I would most definitely agree.  But if he is asked to take the same kind of a step back that Kurt Busch has had to and let someone else take over while he continues to learn, you can be sure Tim will accept that decision with grace and a positive attitude.

You can also be sure Tebow’s popularity will hardly wane while he’s finishing his “education”.  Why?  Because Tim Tebow is loved just as much for his character and work ethic as he is for his results.

It could be said that failures of character cost Kurt Busch a championship-caliber ride twice in fact, as he was also let go by Roush Racing several years ago after an off-track incident at the end of that season.

Kurt is now in a situation where there may be more pressure on him to improve his performance personally than professionally.  I hope he can unleash the winner inside of him and motivate his Phoenix Racing teammates as much with a positive attitude and spirit as he does with his able right foot and elevate the team to unprecedented success.

In either case, I think the  life lesson here is that character matters.