Cowboy76
01-03-2008, 02:33 PM
Like everyone on these boards, I was so excited when we got a commitment from BR in '04. Then we all sweated some late rumors and runs by other teams to swipe him away. Seeing him on the sidelines at the Cotton Bowl aleviated fears and we could all envision the day he would be leading us to a Big 12 championship. The first year in a new offense as a redshirt freshman did little for his confidence or ours. We started to see a glimpse of his potential the last year but injuries took it's toll. Still, most fans as well as BR himself figured this would be the year he came into his own, much like Vince Young did his junior year. With a veteran line and a seasoned RB and an AA WR, how could he miss?
If it shocked OSU fans(and certainly Texas high school fans and coaches), just imagine how it shocked BR when he was replaced in the third game by a much less heralded and experienced QB. There was some dissention on the team, some hard feelings by BR, and certainly a very hurt and disgruntled family. It also was a very hard and tough decision by our coaches and was not unaminous at the time. This is the type of volatile situation that could have completely imploded some programs(think Mustain at Arkansas most recently).
There is no doubt that BR took this decision very hard and that some of his actions were not exemplary at the time but they also were not disruptive to the overall well being of the team. That is VERY important. BR handled this situation with CLASS!!! He did not go public with a whole bunch of crap. Other than one game, he dressed out and was very supportive of his team mates and of Zac especially. A lot of this goes back to the way he was raised. His mother, Rajika, is a very educated and classy individual herself. She has been very influential in BR's academic and athletic achievements. I talked with her in Tempe. As usual, she was there in all of her Orange garb to support OSU AND her son knowing full well he would not see the field that day.
She was her usual cordial self as she saw me making my way up to see her. We talked about the season. Not crying, but with tears of emotion in her eyes, she told me that Bobby would be a better man for the way everything turned out. She talked about how adversity can only make you a stronger person if you learn to over come it. She talked about how she told BR that God often works in ways that we don't understand and that something good would come from this. We hugged and I told her of similar experiences from raising my own children anf that the very best learning experiences they had was when I allowed them to fail but was there to pick them up and encourage them to try again.
Society today is filled with people who do not know how to fail. Sports especially is filled with prima donna's who run to the media with all sorts of crap when they feel like they did not get a fair chance.
I, for one, am as proud of Bobby Reid today as I was the day he first announced his decision to attend OSU. I am prouder still that I had the opportunity to get to know his family and share experiences with them.
Bobby Reid is a special person. I want to thank him for his contributions to OSU. Thank you, Bobby Reid.
If it shocked OSU fans(and certainly Texas high school fans and coaches), just imagine how it shocked BR when he was replaced in the third game by a much less heralded and experienced QB. There was some dissention on the team, some hard feelings by BR, and certainly a very hurt and disgruntled family. It also was a very hard and tough decision by our coaches and was not unaminous at the time. This is the type of volatile situation that could have completely imploded some programs(think Mustain at Arkansas most recently).
There is no doubt that BR took this decision very hard and that some of his actions were not exemplary at the time but they also were not disruptive to the overall well being of the team. That is VERY important. BR handled this situation with CLASS!!! He did not go public with a whole bunch of crap. Other than one game, he dressed out and was very supportive of his team mates and of Zac especially. A lot of this goes back to the way he was raised. His mother, Rajika, is a very educated and classy individual herself. She has been very influential in BR's academic and athletic achievements. I talked with her in Tempe. As usual, she was there in all of her Orange garb to support OSU AND her son knowing full well he would not see the field that day.
She was her usual cordial self as she saw me making my way up to see her. We talked about the season. Not crying, but with tears of emotion in her eyes, she told me that Bobby would be a better man for the way everything turned out. She talked about how adversity can only make you a stronger person if you learn to over come it. She talked about how she told BR that God often works in ways that we don't understand and that something good would come from this. We hugged and I told her of similar experiences from raising my own children anf that the very best learning experiences they had was when I allowed them to fail but was there to pick them up and encourage them to try again.
Society today is filled with people who do not know how to fail. Sports especially is filled with prima donna's who run to the media with all sorts of crap when they feel like they did not get a fair chance.
I, for one, am as proud of Bobby Reid today as I was the day he first announced his decision to attend OSU. I am prouder still that I had the opportunity to get to know his family and share experiences with them.
Bobby Reid is a special person. I want to thank him for his contributions to OSU. Thank you, Bobby Reid.