Micah Parsons is one of the best players on a playoff-bound team, has been voted into the Pro Bowl, will get attention for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and all in all, is living the good life.

But on this holiday weekend, the “Lion-backer” is also grieving as a result of having to say goodbye to his beloved dog, “Simba.”

In a series of social media posts, the second-year standout, 23, let loose with the sort of emotion most pet owners fully realize.

Parsons announced the passing away of his dog, first by writing, “Putting your dog down is truly one of the hardest things to do ever.”

Parsons then added a photo collage with Simba.

And he wrote, “I will always love you, sweet boy. RIP Simba.”

“Simba” is surely a reference to “The Lion King” character and to Parsons’ own persona, having played for the Penn State Nittany Lions. He apparently has another dog named “Brutus” who is named after the Ohio State mascot. … and we’re betting Brutus is getting a lot of love right now.

Micah recorded 13 sacks in his rookie season and with one game left, he has matched that number this season. He is presently playing with a banged-up hand – in this week’s 27-13 win at the Tennessee Titans he wore a wrap that caused us to call it a “club hand” – and while he insists there has been no need for an MRI, we know there is some swelling and some obvious discomfort in that hand.

“It’s football,” Parsons likes to say of the bumps and bruises endured in his sport, and similarly, “It’s life” is one way to look at the loss of a pet.

But that doesn’t make either of those two things any less tangibly painful.