Green Bay Packers rookie center Corey Linsley made a special training camp tradition even more memorable for one young fan.
For decades now, the Packers have carried on the tradition of riding children’s bicycles from Lambeau Field to their practice field, which is located across the street. The time a player spends with a local kid might be brief, but it didn’t take long for Linsley to develop a special connection with one youngster in particular.
According to Paul Imig of FOX Sports Wisconsin, a young boy named Travis asked Linsley if he would choose his ride on the second day of practice. The two quickly hit it off, with Linsley opting to ride Travis’ bike every day from that moment forward. As the two forged their friendship, Travis divulged to Linsley that his mother was sick and in the hospital, prompting the first-year player to do something special for him.
Linsley got in touch with Travis’ father to ask him if he could pick his son up one Sunday afternoon and surprise him with a gift.
“I was just like, you know, I’ll befriend this kid and see how much I can help out,” Linsley said, via FOXSports.com. “I figured buying a bike would be appropriate for the situation.”
The two went to Toys “R” Us and picked out a brand-new bicycle — that they’ll both be riding in the near future — that certainly put a smile on Travis’ face.
“As a kid, I remember looking up to people in general, and anything they could do to help me out, I took that to heart,” Linsley said. “Anybody who lent out a helping hand to me was just the greatest thing in the world. I figured he was the same way. He seems a lot like I was. I was a ball of energy, couldn’t control me. So I knew he’d appreciate that. So that’s why I did that.”
Photo via Twitter/@KCousineau09
