On Nov. 1 — All Saints Day — I was watching my team, the Seattle Seahawks, play the Dallas Cowboys in an away game, when something terrifying happened.
After taking a huge hit, wide receiver Ricardo Lockette lay motionless on the ground. Benches cleared, and players were visibly concerned. Some words were exchanged, but there was no fight — and several players from both teams were seen kneeling in prayer.
(I’d already seen something similar happen to the Cowboys, while visiting their training camp in Oxnard, California.)
Then, while being rolled off the field, to everyone’s immense relief, Lockette moved, raising one hand in an L, which stands for “LOB.” In Seahawks parlance, that stands for Legion of Boom, the nickname for the team’s secondary defense squad, or Love Our Brothers.
Lockette, a 29-year-old native of Albany, Georgia, was taken to a hospital in Dallas, where he underwent ligament surgery on his neck. He is expected to recover, but his playing season is over. But on his way out of Dallas, Lockette showed why he’s been a very popular and admired member of the Seahawks since 2011.
On Nov. 5, Lockette was released from the hospital, announcing on Instagram:
As Lockette and his parents (his dad, Earl, was wearing a jersey that said “Papa Rockette”) were driving away from the hospital, they passed through an area with a large homeless population. The young football player then paid a little back for all the prayers and support he had received.
We reached out to Lockette’s dad who confirmed the whole thing — telling us his son was adamant about helping out on Nov. 5th, so he told the driver to head to McDonald’s and bought 100 CHEESEBURGERS!
“He had a neck brace on while he was passing out the burgers,” Earl Lockette tells us … “So some people were like, ‘What happened to you?’ But Ricardo didn’t try and bring attention to who he was.”
“Some people knew who he was. But this was more about Ricardo seeing people who were in worse shape than him, and wanting to help them however he could.”
In the end, Earl says, “It was a beautiful thing. Through helping other people, he helped heal himself. It was therapeutic for everyone.”
So, when you hear bad things about NFL players, remember, for every one of them, there are dozens like Lockette — tough, competitive guys who still have warm hearts and a strong faith.
On Nov. 10, Lockette returned to Instagram with a reminder that everything we do matters:
Sebastian, patron saint of athletes, pray for us!
Images: Wikimedia Commons
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