There are priorities and then there are priorities.
New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker said he missed two days of voluntary on-field practice last week so that he could accompany his wife, signer Jessie James, at the CMT Awards in Nashville.
Before anyone gets bent out of shape about the Jets giving him a five-year deal worth $36.25 million, the decision came following the blessing of head coach Rex Ryan.
“When your wife gives birth and goes through nine months of tough days to give you a child, you respect the woman a lot more,” Decker said via the New York Post. “Obviously, she’s very important to me and her career is very important to me as well.”
While some are not happy that Decker chose his wife over the Jets, the wide receiver sums it up saying, “A marriage is give and take,”
“Any relationship is give and take. It’s funny how this became such a story. It was an opportunity to get down there [to Nashville] and be around our friends and be around the music industry that she’s a part of.”
Who knows what would have happened had the Jets actually balked at Decker skipping a few OTAs.
“There’s priorities in life,” Decker said. “There’s a lot of respect within this organization and within this building, and we know what’s right.”
