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As the wife of a former NFL player I actually would totally understand if he missed the birth because he was at a game. It's a hard culture to understand if you haven't been a part of it.

I can see both sides of this. Personally I'd prefer DH to be there for that moment. As a professional in his sport, he gets millions of dollars to lay it on the line from August to February. If he were a third string kicker, likely no one would miss him, but Tillman is an important play for the entire team and franchise, and every game counts at this point in the season.

I totally wouldn't judge him for missing the game, but I also wouldn't judge him for being there.

I feel like if it is a decision they are personally happy with, then it's fine. We are not in their relationship.y dad was not there for most of the birthing process for my mom when she had me. He was trying to finish his rounds and get ahead. His philosophy was that he wanted to be there for me during my life when I was actually here instead of all the waiting around time before I got there. If they are okay with the decision that's all that matters. The birth is important, but I feel like if they are there for the baby's life, that's more important.

It's his job, and sometimes jobs aren't flexible. If i married someone in that line of work, I'd be very understanding. I imagine there are lots of people who miss the birth of their child due to work circumstances. What's more important is the aftermath.

And i 100% agree that it depends who is playing. If you're an important player, well, it'd be hard to let that go. It could mean the difference in going to the championship. It's more than "just a job" to some of these guys.

It's like men who serve in the military and can't be home right away. They have to choose to be there for the birth or for right after. It just is how it is. You plan all you can, but you roll with the punches.

@blackbird: this.

Hubby works out of town. Obviously, it would be ideal if I could go into labor when he was off, but there is a chance he would be working and then I'd have to call and hope I didn't have a fast labor. You just do what you have to do to make it work for your family.

@mandb36: Regardless of what the other players are saying it's really just about what he and his wife want to do. I don't think anyone should judge him if he chooses to miss a game. I'm just saying that if my husband chose not to miss a game I would understand why he would make that decision even though it would be really difficult for him to do.

If he was still playing once we decided to have kids we absolutely would have aimed for a due date during the offseason. Not in the interest of the team but in the interest of us. It would be wonderful to be able to have my husband totally off work with me during my maternity leave.

Lastly... I think it's unfair to call it "football vs. family". It's not like he's a fan going to a college game. It's "career vs. family". I'm sure many men have difficult decisions to make around prioritizing between their careers and their families. Just because football is a game it's not any less of a career.

As a HUGE Bears/Tillman fan, I fully support his decision to miss a game if his wife were to go into labor on Sunday. Knowing what he went through with one of his daughters and all of her health issues, I think it's great that he's putting his family first. I know that people go a little crazy when it comes to sports and you'll get lots of people on either side.

Also, as someone who's due on Sunday, I hope we're both giving birth in the same hospital and the other Bears players can stop by and say hello to me too.