That reminded me of something Barry Sanders did:
Sanders entered the final week of his rookie season neck-and-neck with the Chiefs’ Christian Okoye for the rushing title. The Lions had a special phone line installed in the press box to monitor Okoye’s carries, and when Okoye’s game in Kansas City ended, Sanders trailed by just 10 yards. But given the chance to pile up yards late in a win over the Falcons late, Sanders declined an offer to re-enter the game.
"He rushed for (158) yards and then they pulled Barry out of the game and you look up at the scoreboard and Christian Okoye just finished their game in Kansas City and is (10) yards ahead of Barry for the rushing title in the NFL. And Wayne Fontes and some people came, ‘Barry, you want to go in and get your (11) yards, get your title?’ He just said, ‘No, let the other guy play.’ I mean, think about that. There’s got to be a pretty nice bonus attached to winning the rushing title, and he says, ‘No, let the other guy go ahead and play.’
“I went up to him myself. Wayne went up to him. When I sat next to him I said, 'Hey Barry, you sure you don’t want the rushing title? He goes, ‘Nah, that’s OK.’ I’m like ‘OK, that’s Barry.’ He wasn’t one to love the limelight. He was not that kind of a guy. He’d rather see someone else shine. That’s truly the humility and the humbleness of Barry Sanders. And I get tickled just talking about him because I just love the guy.”
— Bob Gagliano, Lions quarterback (1989-90)