Column: It’s Nice to See the Good Things Being Recognized

When using the term “difference-maker” in regards to athletics, it’s usually a term given to a player or circumstance that helps sway the outcome of a game or a season. Sometimes however, it may have nothing to do with what goes on the field.

The latest Florida State player to receive recognition for a kind gesture off the field was junior wide receiver Travis Rudolph. Rudolph was among several Seminoles to visit local schools on Tuesday, but it was his small, but kind gesture that brought a mother to tears.

Unknowingly, Rudolph was pictured sitting next to a middle school boy during lunch who had no one else to sit with. The boy’s mother, Leah Paske, posted on Facebook that her son has autism and she sometimes worries for him.

“He doesn’t seem to notice when people stare at him when he flaps his hands,” she posted. “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.”

With Florida State set to open the 2016 season in a highly-anticipated contest against 11th-ranked Ole Miss on Monday, Rudolph is expected to be an integral part of the offense after leading the team in receiving as a sophomore in 2015. What Rudolph did Tuesday however, made an impact and it had nothing to do with his hands, route-running or ability to stretch a defense.

“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,” Paske went on to post. “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!”

While Rudolph’s kind gesture received a lot of national exposure and probably brought a lot of tears, it isn’t anything new for the program. It’s not uncommon for FSU players to visit local schools or hospitals or to give back throughout the community.

In May, senior cornerback Marquez White hosted “A Different Way Out” camp in his native Dothan, Alabama. That same month, sophomore wide receiver Auden Tate visited a nursing home on Mother’s Day to see women, who weren’t fortunate enough to be visited by their families.

Last month, redshirt sophomore center Alec Eberle and other Seminoles took part in “Lift for Life”, a fundraiser event that raises money for the rare blood disease Fanconi Anemia, which effects head coach Jimbo Fisher’s son Ethan. Fisher and his ex-wife Candi founded Kidz 1st Fund, the foundation through which the research is funded.

Examples of good works however, aren’t limited to current players. In June, Fisher and former quarterback Jameis Winston, now a Tampa Bay Buccaneer visited survivors of the horrific shooting that took place at Pulse nightclub.

Last month, we talked to two former FSU players who were using football camps to give back to their hometown of Quincy. We also talked to a regular guy, who was fortunate enough to spend a day on the lake with all-time leading receiver Rashad Greene after simply asking if he’d like to go. In February, it was another former FSU receiver in Anquan Boldin, who was named the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year.

When it’s not the players or former players making a difference, it’s sometimes the fans. Earlier this month, The Daily Nole contributor T.J. Pittinger chronicled how a group of fans, the university and local businesses helped give one ill fan the ultimate experience for what looks to be the biggest game on the schedule against Clemson on Oct. 29.

It wasn’t that long ago that Florida State was perceived by many as college football’s ultimate villain, the win-at-all-cost program or the disturbing example of what was wrong with major college athletics. The light in which fans and the coaches were portrayed wasn’t much prettier.

We could revisit every past controversy, arrest, incident or take some time to chronicle the bad for the sake of balance, but that’s not really the point here. Like every other program, Florida State has had its flaws. It’s just nice to see the good works being recognized as well.