The Player’s Lounge: John Sexton

Why the [explicit] am I here right now?

A question I had asked myself time and time again, sweat pouring down my face, running up to the gym I frequented this off-season.

As I prepared for the inaugural PLL season in my new home of Chicago, ~90 miles away from Notre Dame where I’ve spent my previous four pre-seasons, I felt far more like I was worlds away rather than a short trip down I-90. Working a full-time job, and competing in a league that is seeing more and more players fully dedicate their lives to professional lacrosse is a vastly different task than the already rigorous demands of being a full-time student and collegiate athlete at Notre Dame. Yet every weeknight around 9:00PM, I found myself taking a ~90 minute workout break (before heading back to the office) to ensure I was able to compete with the highest level of competition the sport of lacrosse has ever seen on the professional stage.

My passion for the sport is constantly reinvigorated by friends & family, by the tireless efforts of those at the Premier Lacrosse League, hoisting professional lacrosse to new heights on a weekly basis (both the staff and the players), by the communities I have been able to serve through this sport and by the dedication of my Redwoods teammates and coaches.

So many small things leading up to the opening whistle of our third game of the season reminded me of how lucky I am to be able to strap it up every weekend. Things such as seeing a close friend’s son donning a gold Notre Dame helmet and traditional pocket in his youth game, receiving a call from my high school lacrosse coach Brian Vona and his team after winning their MA state semi-final game and hearing the raw excitement of that team or looking up into the stands and seeing my parents after traveling half-way across the country to see my game reminds me of how fortunate I am to have the support of all of these individuals, and more importantly, to call these people my friends and family. Thinking of moments like these is the fuel to my fire, and is a large part of what has made the inaugural PLL season so special to me. It makes the late nights, hours of travel and numerous other personal sacrifices all worth it.

I was lucky to grow up in a family, play for a high school (Lincoln-Sudbury) and college (Notre Dame) where giving back to those less fortunate was the standard, a mentality that has been adopted by the Premier Lacrosse League. Motto’s such as “first to serve, last to be served” adopted by Lincoln-Sudbury’s lacrosse team, or Notre Dame lacrosse’s mantra of character, culture and community have influenced my life far beyond the lacrosse field. Since moving to Chicago, I’ve had the opportunity to work with OWLS (Outreach Within Lacrosse & School), a program now supported through PLL Assists. OWLS aims to provide access to top-tier academic institutions for Chicago’s at-risk youth through multiple in-house scholarships, and support in the application process for other third-party opportunities. OWLS is also bringing the sport of lacrosse to new parts of Chicago, serving as an escape from the volatility of one of Chicago’s most underserved communities for many of our students. Interacting with the students participating in OWLS programs, many of whom never having been exposed to lacrosse before, and experiencing the pure joy it brings them helps put everything in perspective. At the end of the day, we are playing a game, and there are people overcoming issues that dwarf the daily minutia we often allow ourselves to get caught up in.

Being a part of a team is a special experience, and anyone lucky enough to have played on one knows how strong the bonds forged between teammates can be. Week in and week out this season I find myself itching to get back out there with the Redwoods. Being on a team that has served as a melting pot for so many strong cultures, as well as playing with numerous guys I grew up watching and idolizing has been surreal. The five-day training camp at IMG Academy allowed for an immersive team experience, in which a group of players, assembled from widely varying backgrounds, were able to unite under the common goal of building something bigger than the sum of our individual parts. Having a core group of guys from Gerry Byrne’s Notre Dame defensive system that preaches the strength of the unit over any one man, along with Nat’s extensive experience coaching professional defenses has quickly made this one of the most disciplined defenses I’ve been a part of. Combine this with the dynamism and creativity of guys like Brian Karalunas, Larken Kemp, Patrick Harbeson (+many more!) and you have a recipe that has propelled this Redwoods defense to the top of the league (shout out to Eddy Glaze, first team all snub, for being air traffic control on this defense and never getting the love he deserves).

The combination of these different factors is exactly "why the [explicit] I was here right now" night after night. I wouldn’t be half the man I am today without the unwavering support of my family, friends, teammates current and past, coaches and the communities I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of over the course of my career. I play for all of them, I play for those who would give anything to be in our shoes on the largest stage lacrosse has ever seen, I play for those who were not afforded the same opportunities I was in life and because I truly love this game.