John Moffitt as a Denver Bronco. Photograph by Jeffrey Beall.

Unsettling news out of the Nov. 6 edition of The New York Times, which chronicles the difficult time John Moffitt – whose departure from a $1 million contract as a Denver Broncos offensive lineman was the subject of post on this blog – has had adjusting to “civilian” life.

There were flirtations with writing and standup comedy – all well and good, particularly at age 27. But then came the drinking and the drugs and the possibility of jail time for possession, which was averted.

It’s difficult when you end a career to find the structure the job once provided, particularly when you’re a football player, with all the insular entitlement that implies.

That’s one of the reasons that Quinn Novak – the hero of “The Penalty for Holding,” my forthcoming novel in “The Games Men Play” series – clings to his football career, even though he thinks the brutality on and off the field is killing him.

Here’s hoping Moffitt straightens himself out and finds not only gainful employment but meaningful life’s work, as there are few greater joys.