This Sunday’s Kansas City Chiefs-Denver Broncos football game in Denver will provide a sharp reminder of professional athletes who will never compete for a father-of-the-year title.

Travis Henry, Broncos running back, was cleared to begin practice with his team this week after winning his appeal of a one-year suspension following a positive test for marijuana. He contended he “never smoked” and that if he tested positive for the drug it was because of “second-hand smoke” created by some people with whom he associated the past summer.

It is worth noting that Henry had two previous drug infractions and is taking part in a substance-abuse program. He has been having knee problems of late but now seems able to compete against the Chiefs this week. He indicates he has been “cleared” in the latest drug incident, but only time will tell if he has whipped this particular demon.

Yet there is an even more serious aspect to the life and times of Travis Henry that generally is swept under the rug. He has fathered nine children by nine women in four southern states, all by the age of 28. He is 29 now and has been the subject of lawsuits seeking child support. Not long ago he purchased a $100,000 auto and $164,000 worth of personal jewelry, which makes critics wonder why he can’t help support some of the children he has produced.

A former Kansas City great fathered seven children by five women, none of whom he married. People such as this make millions of dollars for their athletic skills and too often their lives as general citizens are overlooked by adoring fans who seem to have no regard for what else the athletes might have done – as long as they perform effectively in sports.

One of the sorriest scenarios involving a professional athlete centers on Calvin Murphy, a one-time professional basketball star, who reportedly fathered 14 children by nine women and now is bankrupt. So far he seems to be the record-holder for this dubious achievement, but there are other notables – such as basketball players Willie Anderson (nine children out of wedlock) and Shawn Kemp (seven) and boxer Evander Holyfield (nine) – who give little cause for praise for their senses of responsibility.

A number of top athletes have children by women with whom they are not married, yet they continue to live with the mothers and support the children. Our society has a lot of people, in sports and out, who fit into this category and it no longer is as stigmatic as it once was.

But when people such as Travis Henry not only go on population-building binges but also wind up with the prospect of having their careers ended by drug abuse, one might expect some degree of public derision and rejection.

Yet as long as they keep running for big gains, making key tackles and baskets and making the turnstiles whirl to profit team owners, many of their personal shortcomings will continue to be overlooked.