Chris Herren: Former Celtics Player Proves Failure Not Permanent
ESPN delivered another memorable film on Tuesday when the story of Chris Herren was featured in Unguarded. We learned a great many things about Herren and his trouble, but the most intriguing aspect was that failure was shown to never be permanent.
For those of us that watched the ESPN Films documentary on Chris Herren, we were hit with a wave of emotions. I can't stress how well the film was done.
They do a fine job on most accounts, but this one seemed to be more powerful and intriguing for those of us that are inundated with sports stories every second of every day.
Redemption is a term that is bandied about far too often. I fear it has lost its meaning in the grand scheme of things. We can say that LeBron James will "redeem" himself for shoddy play, or that Dirk Nowitzki "redeemed" himself this past year by quieting his critics.
But it's rare when the tale is true to the sentiment of the word. Chris Herren had it all. The former basketball star was a legend at Fresno and looked to have real promise when he was taken in the second round by the Denver Nuggets.
He then went broke of pretty much all the things you can be broke of: money, spirit and a myriad of things we all take for granted.
Herren became a tragic figure when he fell under the spell of alcohol, cocaine, heroin and Oxycontin. He lost his job, money and family. More important is that he lost his self. The most poignant moment of the film was when Herren states that he finally found he could shave in the mirror.
It suddenly dawned on him that the reason he had been shaving in the shower is that he could barely stand to look himself in the face. A little thing like looking in the mirror only came about as he went clean, regained the trust of his family and took to mentoring the youth.
The Gainesville Sun ran a report that cites one such instance where he mentored Erick Murphy, a Florida forward that was arrested for trying to break into a car.
Herren's past has allowed him to find a new power beyond a jump shot or ability to see the court. He lends help to those trying to find the redemptive qualities in their lives.
Chris Herren lost it all, but the fact that he got back what mattered is the most intriguing part of his story. We use redemption far too often, but for this case, it is right on the money.
