Football: Hard work, good choices will help everything fall into place

Cris Carter made headlines this week when video surfaced about the “advice” he gave at the 2014 NFL Rookie Symposium. The Hall of Fame wide receiver and TV analyst suggested that rookies have a “fall guy” if and when they landed in trouble.

The video went viral and Carter publicly apologized after he clearly dropped the ball on this one.

But, as another high school sports season kicks into high gear with this weekend's football openers, it's a good time to remember that one fall could have serious consequences.

There are goals and dreams you have worked countless hours to achieve. Win a state or conference championship. Become an all-state or all-area performer. Earn a starting spot or play a more prominent role on your team.

A lot of sacrifices were made to get there. Not only by you but by family and others close to you. All so you would have the best opportunity to reach those goals.

As you get older, you will have other opportunities that do not fit with your goals. Opportunities with people who may not have sacrificed as much or have as much to lose.

Unfortunately, there are already kids paying a price for getting caught making bad decisions. They are missing part, or in some instances, all of a season.

Considering the consequences is nothing you haven't heard before. It also is something you cannot hear enough. A lifetime of hard work and dreams can be lost in an instant. The losses could go well beyond playing time or individual glory.

You don't need to have a fall guy around. You need to be around people — teammates and other friends — who will do what it takes to make sure everyone in the group stays on the right track.

Making the right decisions while competing is something that has been ingrained in you for years. Making the right choices when you are not competing is equally important. That way you can look back at these times without wondering what might have been.