There I was hunkering down to watch the Steelers-Ravens game last night, when I flipped over to The Biggest Loser weight-loss contest show during a commercial. The first contestant I see in what turns out to be a collection of former top-notch athletes is a 6-foot 6-inch 366-pound guy named Scott Mitchell, described as a former NFL quarterback.

No, not that Scott Mitchell, the old Dolphins/Lions/Bengals/Ravens quarterback? So I Googled his name, and sure enough it's the same guy. But not only that, I find out he's also now a software company executive, which is what prompted me to mention it here in Network World.

Following the Utah native's retirement in 2001 after tossing 95 career touchdowns in 11 seasons, Mitchell went into land development, coaching high school football and business development. Then this past year he started a software company called Kinum that helps to streamline accounts receivable management, and Mitchell heads up sales.

The 46-year-old Mitchell, whose playing weight of 240 was pretty high up for there for a quarterback, says his real weight issues started around 11 years ago, due in large part to a busy life that resulted in him skimping on exercise and eating poorly. Mitchell has been inspired to tackle his weight issues, inspired by his father's death from obesity-related issues as well as the recent deaths of former teammates. He appears to be among the more vocal and confident contestants on the upbeat and melodramatic show, which turns weight loss into a team competition.

During a week in which Apple once again put an emphasis on the promise of technology to help people get fit and stay fit (and enjoy being fit), here's hoping that Mitchell and others who have forfeited attention to their health can get things back in balance.