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DieHards: With cerebral palsy, Devon Berry wants to walk on TCU football team

TopFrog

Lifelong Frog


DieHards: With cerebral palsy, Devon Berry wants to walk on TCU football team

Devon Berry has cerebral palsy, but he still wants to play football at TCU.

The TCU freshman wrestled and played football in high school. In an interview with SB Nation’s Melissa Triebwasser, Berry said he wants to walk on at TCU this season.

“My motivation is to become the first differently abled football player,” Berry said, “and make history showing people that the word of God is true.”

Read more at https://www.diehards.com/tcu/devon-berry-cerebral-palsy-tcu-football
 

PTFrog

Member
Good decision by Patterson to defer to the Chancellor. This is much more than a football decision. Safest, easiest, and maybe best decision would be to say no. That decision would be very easy to justify, and then that would be the end of it.
On the other hand it would be special to see Devon on the football team.

Division I college football is a lot different than high school. Even in high school he seldom played. To accept him on the team would risk seeming like just a PR stunt. Even Devon would probably not want that situation. Delicate situation there.

Since he is such a special case, I would only consider using him as a holder on PAT kicks. I think that is an important job that Devon could handle well. He could get a lot of practice time helping the kickers, and depending on game situations, could get game time as well. Holders still risk getting run over by hard charging 300 pounders. Could he take it? I don't know.
 

satis1103

DAOTONPYH EHT LIAH LLA
If the aggies can use a walk on during kickoffs without it biting them in the ass for several decades, maybe we can find a way to get this kid a couple plays a year...
 

netty2424

Full Member
Good decision by Patterson to defer to the Chancellor. This is much more than a football decision. Safest, easiest, and maybe best decision would be to say no. That decision would be very easy to justify, and then that would be the end of it.
On the other hand it would be special to see Devon on the football team.

Division I college football is a lot different than high school. Even in high school he seldom played. To accept him on the team would risk seeming like just a PR stunt. Even Devon would probably not want that situation. Delicate situation there.

Since he is such a special case, I would only consider using him as a holder on PAT kicks. I think that is an important job that Devon could handle well. He could get a lot of practice time helping the kickers, and depending on game situations, could get game time as well. Holders still risk getting run over by hard charging 300 pounders. Could he take it? I don't know.
Give that young man a purple jersey. Everyone in that program from players to staff can learn a few things from Devon.

I wish I had half the mental toughness he's got.

If we turn him away, that would be shameful.
 

Moose Stuff

Active Member
If the aggies can use a walk on during kickoffs without it biting them in the ass for several decades, maybe we can find a way to get this kid a couple plays a year...

I love the story and clearly this is a beyond inspirational young man, but I can't come up with one scenario where putting a kid who can't walk into a major D1 football game is anything other than an awful idea.
 

netty2424

Full Member
I love the story and clearly this is a beyond inspirational young man, but I can't come up with one scenario where putting a kid who can't walk into a major D1 football game is anything other than an awful idea.
I could be wrong here, but as much as he wants to play, I'm betting its more about his love of being part of a team. Gives him a sense of normalcy in somewhat abnormal circumstances.
 

Horny4TCU

Active Member
More power to this kid. I think this would be great PR... However, here is a situation of putting a person's life endanger. Maybe, he wants to go out fighting, like a viking, but we better have some wavers signed first.
 

ShreveFrog

Full Member
He's an inspiration and a fine young man. I hope there's some way he can be a part of the team, perhaps in an equipment manager role or something.
 

BleedNPurple

Active Member
There's already hundreds of thousands of able bodied high school football players that can't make it to a D1 tryout even. I'd think about a special unpaid GA spot for him - Coaching courage, tenacity, pursuit of life, goal setting, achievemnet, and discipline. Coach Devon could teach everybody something valuable here!
 

Double V

Active Member
The issue is that apparently TCU caught a LOT of flak for how they handled kids like Michah and Nathan Lin (signed a LOI with the swim team). Some morons got all upset and accused TCU of using those boys as "mascots" and claimed that the University trivialized them and their diseases. As a result, the school put the kabosh on allowing these special young people to be officially associated with the athletics teams and/or school in a manner outside of the "norm."

As happens all too often in this world, a small group of idiots ruined it for everyone. The worst part is that those affected the most negatively are the kids and families that benefitted the most.
 

netty2424

Full Member
The issue is that apparently TCU caught a LOT of flak for how they handled kids like Michah and Nathan Lin (signed a LOI with the swim team). Some morons got all upset and accused TCU of using those boys as "mascots" and claimed that the University trivialized them and their diseases. As a result, the school put the kabosh on allowing these special young people to be officially associated with the athletics teams and/or school in a manner outside of the "norm."

As happens all too often in this world, a small group of idiots ruined it for everyone. The worst part is that those affected the most negatively are the kids and families that benefitted the most.
Haters gonna hate!
 

TopFrog

Lifelong Frog
The issue is that apparently TCU caught a LOT of flak for how they handled kids like Michah and Nathan Lin (signed a LOI with the swim team). Some morons got all upset and accused TCU of using those boys as "mascots" and claimed that the University trivialized them and their diseases. As a result, the school put the kabosh on allowing these special young people to be officially associated with the athletics teams and/or school in a manner outside of the "norm."

As happens all too often in this world, a small group of idiots ruined it for everyone. The worst part is that those affected the most negatively are the kids and families that benefitted the most.
I never heard or read one negative thing about Micah or Nathan and if someone did who cares. It is like giving in to these little criminals going around committing crimes and acts of violence because they are still butt hurt over the election. Once you give in there is no end to their demands and how they want to control you.
 
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