Letter to the Editor Re: Ohio State Football
Posted: Tue Nov 18, 2008 6:21 pm
Subject: Columbus Dispatch Letter to the Editor about the OSU Football Team
As a veteran, I wanted to do something on Tuesday as a sign of respect for those who served our country; so, I went to the Ohio Statehouse in the morning to see the display honoring the Lima Company men killed and to say a prayer. As I was viewing one of the full-size paintings of three who died when they hit a roadside bomb, I realized that a tall man stood next to me observing the same painting. I recognized it was OSU quarterback Terrell Pryor. When I looked around further, I noticed a large contingent of OSU football players were also there. As Jim Tressel came to the center of the rotunda, his men gathered behind him and they all took a knee and said a prayer of their own. They were there for about 15 minutes and then all left together. It dawned on me that this was such a classy thing to do by the coach and team; especially considering there was no media there to cover this. It was not their intention to be rewarded with some kind of publicity. It was merely a wonderful, solemn gesture on their part to pay their respects without the expectation of being recognized in some way for doing so. We always hear about the negative aspects of a team; but seldom hear about the good.
As a veteran, I wanted to do something on Tuesday as a sign of respect for those who served our country; so, I went to the Ohio Statehouse in the morning to see the display honoring the Lima Company men killed and to say a prayer. As I was viewing one of the full-size paintings of three who died when they hit a roadside bomb, I realized that a tall man stood next to me observing the same painting. I recognized it was OSU quarterback Terrell Pryor. When I looked around further, I noticed a large contingent of OSU football players were also there. As Jim Tressel came to the center of the rotunda, his men gathered behind him and they all took a knee and said a prayer of their own. They were there for about 15 minutes and then all left together. It dawned on me that this was such a classy thing to do by the coach and team; especially considering there was no media there to cover this. It was not their intention to be rewarded with some kind of publicity. It was merely a wonderful, solemn gesture on their part to pay their respects without the expectation of being recognized in some way for doing so. We always hear about the negative aspects of a team; but seldom hear about the good.