I wasn’t planning this post today, but yesterday’s Cincinnati Enquirer had a great story. Sports news is full of many stories of arrests, guns, drugs, poor behavior, and other negative events. These stories also hide the good deeds done by good people.
Mardy Gilyard, the talented junior wide receiver and kickoff returner for the University of Cincinnati Bearcats, is one of the good stories. This is worth the read.
A Frank Angle 
Now that is one story that should be talked about more. This is stuff I want to read about, and I’ve gotten to the point where I almost always avoid reading negative press releases. As long as society reads it, the press will post it. It’s the classic double-standard for both sides of the coin in which one blames the other. Moving along….
Anyway, Gilyard is not only a great story, but a big reason why Cincy is in the position they’re in. I saw him play against the Sooners earlier this year, and he made some big plays in that game.
It’s nice to see the development of boy into a man on and off the sports field. To even think that someone dedicated himself into reaching out while living out of his car is nothing short of incredible. Things happen in life for a reason, and I think the picture is clear as to why Gilyard is a success now.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
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Well said Mr. Funk as the sports world surely isn’t lacking holligans of all sorts. A friend of mine would always rag on me about Bengal players, and I continually say that this is an athlete problem throughout the league with more negative press in the “home” city. For example, a Denver player getting in trouble gets more press in Denver than in Cincinnati.
There are many good-guy stories in sports, and too bad our society craves on publicizing the negative ones.
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Nice story. Very different than the hoops Bearcats under Huggins’ watch. Thanks for sharing.
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I understand what you’re saying of the Huggins era. On the other hand, it also magnified itself. However, many ex-basketball Bearcats who played for Huggins not only still live in Cincinnati, but are positive contributors to the community. Then again, just like this story, the good ones just seem to make the news as much.
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i love when players pay it forward! Awesome read, Afrank!!
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Thanks CK. Hopefully you’ll be writing about MG as an NFL player in a couple of years.
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