Empty the Bench

We have absolutely no problem with the man’s convictions and beliefs. If Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander did not want to kiss his wife until they were married, fine, whatever, so be it. And the fact that he openly talks about being a virgin until reaching the ripe age of 24 is refreshing, if a bit more than we really need to know. This whole thing about God appearing in his dreams, however, to remind him of his abstinence vows is what makes us scratch our head. Is Alexander claiming divine intervention helped keep his pants zipped up?

Alexander’s autobiography, Touchdown Alexander: My Story of Faith, Football, and Pursuing the Dream came out back in August of last year, so this might be old news to some of you, but if you’re like us and don’t often keep up on athlete autobiographies, read on. Cathy Henkel of the Seattle Times published a book review of Touchdown Alexander, and in it she drops the quotes and details that caught our attention:

Shaun Alexander was a virgin until he married Valerie Boyd in May of 2002 after a two-year courtship. He was 24. But even more unusual, he says “The first time I kissed her was at the altar after Pastor Treat said, ‘You may now kiss the bride.’ It was worth the wait.”

[Alexander] lets us in on what he secretly thought when [Valerie] arrived at a party on the first day he came to Seattle after being drafted by the Seahawks. “I met a lot of girls who acted pure and good at first, especially in public,” Alexander recalls, having told us earlier about one who tempted him with a condom. “Then as soon as we’d get alone, they’d change. Was she like the others? I hoped not.”

As their relationship grows, he fights off physical desire, and sees in a series of sexual dreams a warning not to drift from his vow of abstinence. Because of it, he and Valerie decide that they will not even kiss until they wed.

Oooooookay Shaun. Very nice. As of today, the book’s Amazon.com Sales Rank stands at #49,024, but we have an idea to boost it: issue a special edition with an added chapter that finds Shaun going into great detail about what, exactly, was going on in these dreams. We’re dying to know.