Crying Shame? Not in Lombardi's Book

Vince Lombardi was a complicated man.

More than just a task-master, Vince could, on occasion, let the tears flow.

Here’s an excerpt from a Time Magazine article published shortly after his death in 1970:

“After that stunning era came to an end and Lombardi was busy rebuilding the Redskins, he unabashedly admitted: ‘A lot of what I say sounds corny.  But it is me.  Hell, I’m an emotional man.  I cry.  I cried when we won the Super Bowl and I cried when I left Green Bay.  I’m not ashamed of crying.  Football’s an emotional game.  If you’re going to be involved in it, you gotta take your emotions with you, mister.’”

So take heart, LeBron & friends: there’s no shame in crying.

But do yourselves a favor: next time any of you feel the urge to tear-up in the locker-room…don’t.  Kick a chair, have a beer, grab a towel, do something, but don’t cry in public after a loss.

That’s why there are rooms with doors, limos and domiciles, to let it all out in private. Then take to heart those famous words of Vivien Leigh: “Tomorrow is another day.”