When an Athlete Quits, Repercussions Linger

This is something else.

At New York Times, "There Is an ‘I’ in Quit":

Of all the various sins committed by athletes on and off the field, the worst — or at least the one that brings the quickest, most fiery denunciations — is quitting. The boxer Roberto Duran will be forever remembered for the “no más” ending to his fight in 1980 against Sugar Ray Leonard. And all his N.B.A. rings will not erase Scottie Pippen’s petulant refusal to enter a 1994 playoff game because the final shot was drawn up for his Chicago Bulls teammate Toni Kukoc.

So no matter how many times Santonio Holmes has been arrested or how many times he has been disciplined by a coach, being accused of quitting on the Jets in their season-ending game on Sunday has raced to the top of his résumé of character faults. Quitting hurts one’s reputation in uniquely wounding ways — calling into question toughness, loyalty and athletic honor.

“Professional athletes always talk about the importance of winning championships and how it’s the biggest thing, but you sort of have to wonder if that’s really the case,” said Chris Stankovich, a sports psychologist in Columbus, Ohio, who works with a range of athletes. “You put a ring on one side and a $100 million contract on the other, and which is more important? We’d all like to believe the players would die for their team, but in reality, they’re not all like that.”

RTWT.

It's a great piece.