Ezekiel Elliott is a lot of things. We’re talking about:
- The 2016 NFL Leading Rusher
- 2016 NFL MVP Candidate
- 2016 Rookie of the Year Candidate
- National Champion (as a member of The Ohio State Buckeyes)
- 2016 NFL Playoffs Participant
- Outstanding human being
It’s that last bit that is important today. A story from The Washington Post dropped on Thursday that encapsulates this message. It’s the story of Jake Silver and his heroic fight against osteosarcoma.
Jake, a Massachusetts native, is a loyal New England Patriots fan… but he and his family also love The Ohio State Buckeyes as well. You see Jake’s step-grandfather, Steve Crapser, was a member of the 1968 National Championship team.
When the 16-year-old Jake began his fight against cancer his family had orange wristbands with “Silver Strong” printed on them. Silver’s younger 14-year-old sister Halle thought it might be a good idea to reach out to some Buckeyes about wearing them in honor of her brother and his fight.
On July 24th, 2016 Halle sent an Instagram message to Zeke with all of the details, low and behold the next morning Elliott responded!
“I want one of those bands !!”
“Send me a bunch I’ll wear it all season.” -Ezekiel Elliott to Halle Silver
Obviously anyone in this situation would have a is-this-too-good-to-be-true type of disposition about them, so Halle made sure to double check that this was indeed The Ezekiel Elliott.
“Is this actually u?” -Halle Silver
“I think I’m real,” -Ezekiel Elliott
Halle and her family wound up sending Zeke some #SilverStrong wristbands, and true to his word he has rocked them all season long. He vowed to not take it off.
As loyal members of Cowboys Nation we’ve seen that Ezekiel Elliott won’t just break, but will shatter any and all expectations of him. When you look at your favorite athletes you want them to be heroes in this type of situation.
One of the greatest things I’ve ever heard said about Hall of Famer and Cowboys Legend Roger Staubach was said by Troy Aikman. He said that Roger was everything that you would want him to be. It seems that this is the exact same type of deal with Ezekiel Elliott.
It’s not easy to do all of the things Ezekiel Elliott does on a football field, and we all certainly admire him for it. But the most admirable thing about Ezekiel Elliott is that despite anything that happens on the field he understands the important things in life and gives those his full attention. He’s one of a kind.
We’re all praying for you, Jake. You got this. #SilverStrong.
