This high school football team has its share of wins and losses, but this team will always be a champion for Taylan Orton and his family.
Orton, a boy from Ohio, has always loved football. But it wasn’t as easy for him because he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was six. However, his mom, Carrie Wilmoth, shared that he can still enjoy various activities despite Taylan’s condition.
“He has a very mild case. You can’t really tell just by looking at him. He decided to play football this year. He had played football previously.” She recalled with BCSN.
But his love for the sport was dampened when he became the target of bullying.
He’d be in tears when he came home from practice and said that he hated football. At one point, he said he just liked to quit altogether. There was also a time where Taylan cried himself to sleep and kept asking his mom why he “wasn’t good enough”.
For someone who has always been a fan of the sport, it says a lot about how the negative experience was affecting him.
Wilmoth took to Facebook and shared what Taylan had to go through just to play football.
At that moment, Emily Buckman, wife of one of the coaches from Findlay, saw the heartbreaking post.
To lift the boy’s spirits, members of the Findlay High School football team stormed through Taylan’s lunch period and presented him with an invitation. Taylan was offered to watch every home game of the team for the season. He’d do so not from the bleachers, but the team’s sidelines.
They also gave him a sign saying: “Taylan, come hang out with us Friday nights.”
“Honestly it was just amazing! Just to see the look on his face,” Quarterback Tanner Rickle said to Fox. “Football’s an amazing sport, and we’re all taught by our coaches, teachers, and families to do the right thing and that was just our one small opportunity to do that.”
We were thrilled to welcome Taylan Orton to the Trojan Family last evening. #thetrojanway#TrojanTrue
Posted by Findlay Trojan Sports onSaturday, September 1, 2018
That same weekend, Taylan was given the tremendous opportunity to lead the Findlay Trojans out to the field while wearing his own Trojans jersey. Finally, Taylan was part of a team.
“We are so thankful for all the support Taylan has got from everyone who has shared his post to raise awareness about bullying,” Wilmoth said with Fox. “Bullying is never O.K. and just because you can’t see a disability doesn’t mean it’s not there!”
The whole event also served as a teaching moment, especially to those who aim to be an athlete.
We were thrilled to welcome Taylan Orton to the Trojan Family last evening. #thetrojanway#TrojanTrue pic.twitter.com/LI8loOrMim
— Findlay Trojans Athletics (@FHSAthletic) September 1, 2018
Nate Weihrauch shared with Fox that athletes are not only there to exemplify physical skill. They should also be a positive role model on and off the field.
“We believe character is important and this was an opportunity to simply help someone. We are blessed to have tremendous kids throughout our community that are willing to make a positive difference.” He said to the news outlet.
It takes a village to raise a child, they say. But for Taylan and his family, it takes a team and a community to bring out the best in everyone.
Check out the inspiring video below to see how this high school football team recruited one special player!
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