Reggie Wayne Shows Rare Loyalty In Professional Sports
In an era of free agency and bidding wars, it's very rare to see a player stay home when his contract is up. But that's what Reggie Wayne decided to do this week, signing a three year deal to remain an Indianapolis Colt. But why?
Let's look at the reasons he could have left. This team is going nowhere fast. They have been gutted from the front office down through the players on the field, they will have a rookie QB and a suspect offensive line, and Dallas Clark and Pierre Garcon are gone now. Wayne is an older receiver at this point in his career so he's virtually giving away a chance for another Super Bowl ring staying in Indy.
So why would any player resign with a team under these conditions? One word comes to mind; loyalty. The Colts players and organization have always been first class, and that has been contributed to veterans like Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne. Wayne loves the fans in Indianapolis and we all feel the same way about him. I'd heard from a source that some teams were interested in Wayne, and some of those teams were contenders probably willing to pay a little more money. He's obviously not going to get a real lucrative deal at this point in his career, but my guess is he could have gotten five million more somewhere else and a chance to compete for another championship. But Wayne is the type of guy who goes to work. He doesn't want to win a title that way. He wants to be part of the building process and work hard to build a team to compete. Remember a few years ago when he showed up to training camp driving a large truck with a neon vest and hard hat on? This is Reggie Wayne. His passion for the game, hard work ethic, and loyalty to his fan base and city is something to be valued, which is why I decided to write this column. The NFL has became a league of money hungry players who forget about the love of the game and the people that are responsible for them being in the position they're in. The fans. Reggie Wayne has proved to all of us that there are still some football players out there that cherish the opportunity to play the game and play in front of people that have cheered for you your entire career and consider you family. Well done Reggie, well done!