A 12-Year-Old Wrote a Letter to Each NFL Team – And Only This One Responded

[Gepetto 988]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/boy-writes-letter-carolina-panthers-owner-receives-big/story?id=28177134

 

After a 12-year-old from Yukon, Oklahoma, hand-wrote letters to executives of 32 NFL teams, he was shocked and delighted to receive a personal response from the owner of the Carolina Panthers, who have undoubtedly made a fan for life.

When Heather Pope's son Cade was home sick from school the week before Christmas, he was "kind of bored" and "needed something to occupy his time," so he asked his parents if he could write to every professional football team.

Cade penned 32 letters—-one to the CEO, owner, or president of each team.

Pope said they "decided to go that higher route" because "getting a response from them would be harder but more meaningful."

"So we weren't quite sure what we could get back, if we could get back anything," she added.

 

On December 26, Cade sent 16 letters to the NFC teams. On January 5, he sent 16 letters to the AFC teams.

A letter to Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson was in the first batch.

Cade wrote, "My family and I love football. We play fantasy football and watch NFL games every weekend. My parents are St. Louis Ram's fans. My brother is a Kansas City Chiefs fan. I don't have a team to cheer for yet. I am ready to pick an NFL team to cheer on for a lifetime!"

Pope said, "With Christmas and different activities it took him about three weeks to hand-write all of those letters."

"He didn't really have one team that he wanted to hear from," she said. "He just wanted to see what kind of response he'd get."

Last Thursday, Pope was pulling into her driveway when a delivery man arrived with a box from the Panthers.

Cade was still at school, but she texted him a photo. "I asked him to guess which team it was and gave him a hint that they were in the playoffs. The Panthers was his first guess."

When Cade came home he opened the package to find a signed Carolina Panthers helmet as well as a handwritten note from Richardson.

Pope said the first line of Richardson's "kind response" stood out most. The team owner wrote, "'We would be honored if our Carolina Panthers became your team. We would make you proud by the classy way we would represent you.'"

Richardson also "talked very highly of some of his players."

Pope said Cade was "overjoyed that he got that kind of response."

Richardson "takes fan mail extremely seriously," said Panthers Director of Communications Steven Drummond. "He is one of those owners who will get the mail every day and read it and always write handwritten responses."

While the letter now resides in Cade's room, Pope says it's the gesture that impressed her most.

"It's not the merchandise, it's not the items they sent us," she said. "It's what they tell us. Why he should be their fan."

[DankNuggs 305]

Carolina is a classy organization.

[Flyfreak 84]

cool story, i wonder if steve smith tried this

[murf74 461]

[Marshall 98]

Richardson "takes fan mail extremely seriously," said Panthers Director of Communications Steven Drummond. "He is one of those owners who will get the mail every day and read it and always write handwritten responses."

 

Jerry Richardson sounds like an actual human being - a real rarity in today's corporate NFL. Kudos to him.

[edjr 5,570]

 

Jerry Richardson sounds like an actual human being - a real rarity in today's corporate NFL. Kudos to him.

 

There are not many, that is for sure.

 

Most of them own a team because daddy got old or died and left it to them.

[Voltaire 4,564]

 

Jerry Richardson sounds like an actual human being - a real rarity in today's corporate NFL. Kudos to him.

Richardson had enough of a reputation going into this story that when I saw the headline, I guessed it was going to be him. This is the way he always is, a handwritten letter from a sick kid is right up his alley. It's catnip to him. He has a big heart.

 

The kid may know what everybody knows of Richardson as well since the Panthers were his first guess too.

 

Great story.

[Connorsdad 38]

Wow great story ! I didn't know Jerry Richardson was such a good dude. Like Marshall said this has to be rare. Especially in today's greed driven world.

[fanfootballtn 33]

Panthers are my 3rd team now. Titans because I'm a homer, Colts because I have Luck as my keeper player and now the Panthers even though I am not a fan of Cam.

[IMMensaMind 459]

I'm gonna get a teensy bit political in response to a couple of the reactions in this thread.

 

I think those who are surprised by Richardson - calling him a rarity in corporate America, or in today's greed-driven world - have been conditioned.

 

I think people are as they have always been. People are generous. Lots of people. At least as many - and probably more, as a total percentage, due to our world's increasing affluence - than there have ever been in history. We're a large-hearted society, but our culture has been infected with an advanced and all-out political war, in which a central tenet is the Alinskian tactic of class envy.

 

For years, those open to suggestion have been brainwashed to believe in the notion that the wealthy are illegitimately so; that they're greedy and uncaring. We've been riddled with emotional stories of the haves and have nots, etc.

 

I submit to you that you shouldn't look at stories like Richardson's reaction as 'refreshing' or 'unusual', but - instead - suppressed, and for reasons of an insipid agenda.

[Marshall 98]

Hehe! Actually, this is the part that I was labeling a rarity: "...and always write handwritten responses."

 

Scarcely anyone sends handwritten responses through the mail these days - much less busy corporate types.

[Cruzer 1,992]

Very cool and class move by that organization.

[Flyfreak 84]

Very cool and class move by that organization.

could you imagine getting a focking note from jerry jones? holy sh*t, that would be hilarious

[murf74 461]

I'm gonna get a teensy bit political in response to a couple of the reactions in this thread.

 

I think those who are surprised by Richardson - calling him a rarity in corporate America, or in today's greed-driven world - have been conditioned.

 

I think people are as they have always been. People are generous. Lots of people. At least as many - and probably more, as a total percentage, due to our world's increasing affluence - than there have ever been in history. We're a large-hearted society, but our culture has been infected with an advanced and all-out political war, in which a central tenet is the Alinskian tactic of class envy.

 

For years, those open to suggestion have been brainwashed to believe in the notion that the wealthy are illegitimately so; that they're greedy and uncaring. We've been riddled with emotional stories of the haves and have nots, etc.

 

I submit to you that you shouldn't look at stories like Richardson's reaction as 'refreshing' or 'unusual', but - instead - suppressed, and for reasons of an insipid agenda.

Agreed. Millionaires who employ thousands spur the economy and are the key cog to donations, etc in society are wrongly stereotyped

[Marshall 98]

You know, I thought at the time that reading about Jerry Richardson tickled a memory - but I got busy and forgot about it again.

 

Today, I went and looked it up, and yes - the man has an amazing heart:

 

http://prosportschick.com/football/panthers-owner-jerry-richardson-plays-hero-to-te-greg-olsen-and-family/107/

[murf74 461]

I heard Bob Kraft sent him a deflated football after their latest win

[Flyfreak 84]

I heard Bob Kraft sent him a deflated football after their latest win

you just couldn't resist