Below is an excerpt from my upcoming unauthorized biography of Joseph Addai, tentatively titled, Dying For Addai. Please enjoy the opening paragraphs from Chapter 3, ‘Origins of a Man-God.’
Ask him what he credits his success and superstardom to, and ol’ Joe will probably shrug his shoulders with his usual half-grin and say, “Mom and Pop.” The scrappy ne’er-do-well from southern Kansas was raised by a hippie mother and a father who owned a successful Car Wash. After his first 100-yard game. Joe told reporters he was dedicating his milestone to his parents, noting that while they tried to raise him right, they probably did not dream that their son would become a global superstar running back in the NFL. His parents, Sunshine and Graham J. Addai, spent much of their early marriage uselessly protesting wars, promoting environmental responsibility, and handing out Free Wash punch cards at church picnics. (Buy 8 Washes, and the 9th is free) What they did not realize is that while they did not have aspirations for young Joseph to become the god that he is, they gave him the tools to get there by drilling into him three important tenants to live by almost every day. Joe has fond memories of his parents repeating these tenants to him as a though it was a new lesson about life, often after he said his prayers before bed and during especially trying times.
- Start every day with a balanced breakfast and end it with a good night’s rest.
- If you want something, you must be willing to find passion for it and sacrifice for it.
- Explode through the hole; keep the knees up and the feet moving constantly.
Young Joseph was often confused about the third point, as he could not understand why his father would say that when Joe would bring home a C- on a history report or a scraped arm after exploring in the woods looking for turtles. Now that he tears through the defense of many AFC teams year after year, he admits to finally understanding what his parents were talking about. “Pops wasn’t crazy, but he wanted you to think he was.”
Look for this exhaustively researched biography to appear everywhere books are sold in Q3 2008.
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