Those who have read Joe Gibbs’s book “Racing to Win” written with Ken Abraham will find an uncanny similarity between his first retirement from the Redskins and his most recent one.

In the book published in 2002, Gibbs writes: “When the boys [J.D. and Coy] were young, I used to tuck them into bed each night, read a bit from the Bible, talk with them about what it meant, and pray with them before turning the lights out. Then one night I went up to read and talk, and my baby, Coy, was already asleep. I leaned over to give him a kiss and reared up in shock. Oh my gosh! My boy has a beard! I looked closer and saw to my surprise that my youngest son weighed 220 pounds!

“What had happened? I realized that my sons were growing up with an absentee father, even though we were living under the same roof. I was a football recluse, spending far more time with the Redskins than with the people who mattered most in my life, my wife and children. I was time to make a change.”

Those words were as true today as they were in 1993. In both cases, Gibbs’s desire to be with his family led to the decision to retire. Yet, many people were shocked that he would walk away from such a high-profile, lucrative career, especially now that the Redskins seem to be headed in the right direction.

Redskins chaplain Brett Fuller wasn’t surprised.

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Alan Veingrad spent seven seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman, playing for the Green Bay Packers (1986-90) and then the Dallas Cowboys (1991-92) where he won a Super Bowl ring. Veingrad played nearly every position on the line, blocking for Emmitt Smith and protecting Troy Aikman. Smith presented Veingrad with a Rolex watch after the running back won the NFL rushing title.

Veingrad played alongside many Christians in the NFL and at East Texas State University in the heart of the Bible belt, but few of his teammates shared his Jewish heritage. As he put it: “In the rough and tumble environment of an NFL team, a Jew is an outsider.” Though he always considered himself a Jew, Veingrad didn’t embrace Orthodox Judaism until after he left professional sports.

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