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Outside View: Football star brightens day for autistic child

Sat., Sept. 3, 2016

The following editorial from the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin does not necessarily reflect the view of The Spokesman-Review’s editorial board.

Following college and professional sports, particularly football, can be a bit depressing these days. After all, many – too many – of these athletes are being arrested for serious crimes or involved in outrageous behavior.

Well, this week a story emerged regarding a college football player that’s certain to bring a smile to your face and joy to your heart.

Travis Rudolph, the leading receiver for the Florida State Seminoles, was visiting a middle school in Tallahassee, Florida, with some of his teammates. The 20-year-old star player happened to be in the cafeteria and noticed a young boy eating lunch by himself.

Rudolph went over to the boy at the empty table and sat across from him. He put down his lunch and began eating along with the child.

“Little did he know just how much this one, small, tiny gesture meant,” wrote Aaron Torres on the Fox Sports website. “You see, the child, named Bo Paske has autism. And sitting alone for lunch is something he does quite often.”

Someone in the cafeteria took a picture of the two eating together and sent it to Bo’s mom, Leah. She then posted it to Facebook with a message.

“I do remember middle school being scary, and hard. Now that I have a child starting middle school, I have feelings of anxiety for him, and they can be overwhelming if I let them. Sometimes I’m grateful for his autism. That may sound like a terrible thing to say, but in some ways I think, I hope, it shields him. He doesn’t seem to notice when people stare at him when he flaps his hands. He doesn’t seem to notice that he doesn’t get invited to birthday parties anymore. And he doesn’t seem to mind if he eats lunch alone. It’s one of my daily questions for him. Was there a time today you felt sad? Who did you eat lunch with today? Sometimes the answer is a classmate, but most days it’s nobody… ” she wrote.

“A friend of mine sent this beautiful picture to me today and when I saw it with the caption ‘Travis Rudolph is eating lunch with your son’ I replied ‘who is that?’ He said ‘FSU football player,’ then I had tears streaming down my face. Travis Rudolph, a wide receiver at Florida State, and several other FSU players visited my son’s school today. I’m not sure what exactly made this incredibly kind man share a lunch table with my son, but I’m happy to say that it will not soon be forgotten. This is one day I didn’t have to worry if my sweet boy ate lunch alone, because he sat across from someone who is a hero in many eyes. Travis Rudolph thank you so much, you made this momma exceedingly happy, and have made us fans for life!”

Wow!

And, as noted by Torres and others on social media, Rudolph didn’t do this for attention. He had no idea anybody would take a picture. Rudolph sat with Bo because it was the right thing to do. He saw a kid who was all alone.

It was reported that when Rudolph saw the Facebook post, it brought tears to his eyes.

Doing something nice, even a small gesture, can have a huge impact.