Backstory: On Christmas Eve 2007, Wauseon (OH) native and Michigan offensive line commitment Elliott Mealer was involved in a horrible car accident that took the lives of his father and girlfriend and left his brother Brock paralyzed. Since then, the Mealer family has had the unwavering, unconditional love and support of one Rich Rodriguez:
By springtime, Brock started standing with the help of braces. Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez introduced him to the team during a practice. The Wolverines were kneeling with their helmets as Rodriguez told Brock's story. At the end of it, they rose to their feet and gave him an ovation. |
The video above features Brock Mealer working his way back toward normalcy - with Mike Barwis standing by him.
Don't worry, Michael Rosenberg. I'm sure you've got a lot on your plate, and you're probably a pretty busy guy. We'll all understand when it takes you a while to write that piece about how Rodriguez is actually a pretty good person.