This past Friday our nation was shocked as it witnessed one of the most heinous tragedies in the history of America when twenty young children and six adults were murdered at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
This was the second largest mass murder tragedy in United States History and one of the deadliest mass shootings around the globe.
In a single moment the entire nation can be at a standstill. With this great despair comes a yearning for hope for all who are involved. Time and time again the National Football League steps up and becomes the glimmer of hope that so many people need. Football is America’s favorite sport, millions of Americans sped their Sunday’s watching their favorite team compete. In the past the NFL has done a great job of honoring other tragedies, they always step up and provide the temporary escape that those that are suffering need.
No one will forget the first NFL Sunday after 9/11 where at every NFL stadium there was a moment of silence and special dedications to those that were lost.
This past Sunday was no different. In all 14 NFL stadiums that hosted a game there was a moment of silence for the 26 victims of the Newtown tragedy. Teams did different things to honor those who had past and those who still now must carry on.
The New York Giants had a decal that read “S.H.E.S.” on their helmets going into their game with the Falcons. And Giants head coach Tom Coughlin had “S.H.E.S.” written on his hat throughout the game. The Patriots, who are the closest NFL team to Newtown, silenced their “End Zone Militia” who usually fire muskets into the air after Patriots scores in honor of the victims at Sandy Hook. Instead, the militia saluted the American flag that was flying half-staff after every Patriots score. The Patriots also wore a sticker of the city’s seal and a black ribbon on their helmet.
All throughout the league teams and players had their own way of honoring the victims. Many players had things like “S.H.E.S.” and “Newtown, CT” written on their gloves or cleats.
What was important this week was not what happened on the field, every player knew in the back of their mind that something much bigger was going on. The NFL always does a great job at honoring victims from tragedies such as this one.
Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz was informed that one of the young victims — six-year old Jack Pinto –— was a huge fan of Cruz and that on every Sunday he would wear his Cruz jersey and cheer on the Giants.
Victor was humbled by this and had things like “R.I.P. Jack Pinto,” “Jack Pinto, my hero” and “This one is for you” written on his cleats for his game against Atlanta. Cruz got in contact with the family and they notified Cruz that they planned to bury Jack in one of Cruz’s jerseys.
In the aftermath of this tragedy it is good to know that the thoughts of the NFL are with those who were affected by this, the NFL is America’s league and it is doing a god job of honoring those who were lost in this horrendous tragedy.
Tyler Rollason is a Winder-Barrow High School graduate and mass communications major at the University of West Georgia. You can e-mail comments about this column to
tyrollason@yahoo.com.
