These People in Sports Have a Lot to Be Thankful for in 2009

As you're enjoying your thanksgiving feast this weekend with all your wonderful family and friends and counting all the blessings of your privileged life, you should realize that you're not the only in the world that has a lot to be thankful for. Some of your favorite athletes have just as much if not more to be thankful for this holiday season as well. Besides they are human beings with real thoughts, feelings, and concerns just like you and me. Over the course of this article I want to highlight six people in the world of sports that a lot to be thankful in 2009.

Braylon Edwards

Despite their mediocre 4-6 record this season, I guarantee you there's no one happier on the New York Jets right now than wide receiver Braylon Edwards. On October 7, Edwards was traded from the Cleveland Browns, a team that was headed for a top-five NFL draft pick this year to a team, the New York Jets that many feel are a few pieces from making a serious playoff run in the immediate future. The former University of Michigan product was a guy that was starting to become a cancer in the fragile Cleveland Browns locker room the past few years with his diva like attitude and tendency to drop catchable footballs thrown his way. The final straw for the Browns was an alleged incident where Edwards punched one of Lebron James' friends in a heated exchange in the front of a downtown Cleveland nightclub. In four games with the Browns this season, Edwards only had ten catches for 139 yards (13.9 yards per reception) and zero touchdowns. In six games since being traded to the Jets, Edwards has improved those numbers to seventeen receptions for 281 yards (16.5 yards per reception) and two touchdowns.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

The retired superstar center and current assistant coach of the Los Angeles Lakers has many reasons to be thankful this holiday season. The normally introverted Abdul Jabbar announced earlier this month to the world that he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia last December. Michael Deininger, MD, PhD, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, a leukemia expert told WebMD in a recent interview that if one didn't treat the disease at all, the overall survival rate was likely two to two and half years at best. Because Abdul-Jabbar informed his doctor of his night time sweats and hot flashes during the early stages of the disease, he was prescribed an oral medication that has allowed him to continue living his active, normal life without many lifestyle changes. He told Good Morning America in a recent interview that his overall prognosis is good.

Miles Austin

Most experts were looking for Roy Williams, the Cowboy's midseason addition last season to become the team's number one wide receiver. Little did they know that Miles Austin, an undrafted receiver out of Monmouth University in his fourth season in Dallas would step up and keep the Cowboys offense among the best in the NFL despite the release of prolific receiver Terrell Owens. What's most impressive about Austin is that he was projected as the team's number three receiver coming out of training camp this year. Since being penciled in as the team's starting wide receiver since week five, Austin has thirty-seven receptions for 743 yards and seven touchdowns, emerging as Tony Romo's number one target.

Tom Cable

He should consider himself extremely fortunate that he's still the Oakland Raiders head coach in 2009 despite many blemishes against him. First of all, he's only 6-16 overall (4-8 last year, 3-8 this year) as the Raiders head coach for a team that was expected to be competitive this season. It's well-known that the silver and black have not had a winning reason since losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl 37. In addition to his poor coach record, it was reported on ESPN, that Cable was accused of punching his former assistant coach Randy Hanson in the face and fracturing his jaw on August 5^th, 2009 during the Raiders training camp in Napa, California. Eventually the Napa district attorney announced that no charges would be filed against Cable on October 17, 2009. When Cable thought the coast was cleared, it was reported on ESPN's Outside the Lines five days later that he was accused of violent behavior against two ex-wives and an ex-girlfriend. At this point the NFL has not disciplined Cable for his alleged actions. Currently the league is investigating whether Cable needs mandatory counseling under the NFL's personal conduct policy.

Stafon Johnson
The USC senior running back out of Compton is counting his blessings this holiday season due to an unfortunate weight room accident in September. You may remember Johnson was bench-pressing 275 pounds in the USC weight room when the bar slipped from his hand and fell onto his throat, causing serious injuries to his neck and larynx. That incident immediately ended his season with the Trojans. Coughing up blood, he was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital where emergency surgery was performed on his larynx, so his voice could be restored. Doctors were saying that if that he were an average human being with this type of incident, then he would have been died. However since Johnson was a well-conditioned physical athlete, he was able to survive the accident.

According to ESPN.com, Stan Johnson, the father of Stafon was on record of telling ESPN's Shelley Smith that his son needed a tracheotomy to breathe. USC's strength and conditioning coach Chris Carlisle who was within ten feet of incident was on record of saying in the story reported by espn.com, "I've seen players have the bar slip and fall onto their chest, but never in my 25 years of coaching have I heard of someone dropping a bar on their throat," Carlisle said. "We're fortunate he was being spotted." At that point, no one was concerned about his football career, but if he was going to speak again. In a November press conference, sport fans got to hear Johnson share the last words spoken to him by his dying grandfather. "God has a plan. Run, Stafon, run," which Johnson whispered in a raspy voice. Those were the first words he spoke in public since the accident. His doctor's believe he's on the road to a full recovery, and his overall prognosis is good. Johnson has regained the ability to shallow and eat solid food and there's speculation he may even return to the football as a 5^th year senior for the USC Trojans.

Green Bay Packer fans

Most football fans have heard the old cliché; it's hard replacing a legend. Just the ask 49ers and Dolphins' fans who are still searching for their new age Steve Young and Dan Marino, respectively. Packer fans felt as though their emotional bond to Favre was broken when he signed with the hated Minnesota Vikings this off-season. I understand Packer fans may feel worse now because he stuck it to his former team twice this season; however Packer fans must realize that not all hope is lost.

The organization made a wise decision by drafting a talented and mature quarterback in Aaron Rodgers in 2005, while Favre was still in his prime. After initially being booed in the 2008 preseason for looking like a rookie quarterback, Rodgers showed steady improvement over the course of the regular season, completing sixty-four percent of his passes for 4,038 yards, twenty-eight touchdowns and thirteen interceptions. Fans were still skeptical nevertheless. All Rodgers has done in his second full year as the starting quarterback for the Pack is completing sixty-four percent of his passes for 3,136 yards, twenty-two touchdowns and five interceptions despite playing behind a shaky offensive line. So Packers fans even though your legendary quarterback left your team for greener pastures in Minnesota, you have a solid quarterback in Aaron Rodgers to be excited about for years to come. That's something to be very thankful for this year.