Last year I had the chance to meet Joe Theismann — the quarterback I grew up watching and cheering for when I was a young teen. He was at the heart of some of Washington’s greatest moments. Back then, Sunday games were a big deal in my house, and Joe was right in the middle of it all. Meeting him years later brought back a flood of those memories.

A Super Bowl champion, NFL MVP, two-time Pro Bowler, and one of the most respected leaders ever to wear a Washington jersey — Joe’s career speaks for itself.

In reflection, he said, “I was always told that I was too small, too skinny, too slow, not tough enough.” Then he added, “I never ever believed what people told me.” That belief fueled his journey, silenced the doubters, and built a career that still inspires.

What impresses me most, though, is how he handled life after a football tragedy.

On November 18, 1985, a horrific leg injury on Monday Night Football ended his playing career in an instant. Yet that night didn’t define him. He ...