You might remember that San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kyle Williams found himself in the news for all the wrong reasons earlier this week.
After a particularly awful showing during Sunday’s NFC Conference Championship game against the New York Giants, he was subjected to death threats from anonymous fans of his own team via Twitter. Then, in a bizarre twist that actually ended up making a lot of sense, it came out that the Giants purposely targeted Williams throughout the game because of his concussion history. And of course, there was also just the general indignity of knowing that he was the reason that his team lost and wouldn’t be in the Super Bowl come February.
Long story short – Williams hasn’t had much to smile about over the last few days.
Until now.
In a truly a heartwarming article, Ben Mankiewicz of Huffington Post recounted the story of seven-year-old Owen Shure, a 49ers fan who is sticking by his favorite team and his favorite player despite what transpired this past weekend. Per the story:
Owen inherited his love of the 49ers from his dad, Michael Shure, a political contributor to The Young Turks on Current TV…So Sunday, as the Niners lost in memorably disheartening fashion, Owen became inconsolable. He was crying, saying of Kyle Williams, with the distinct sobs of a seven-year-old between each word, "But.. why.. did he.. have to.. fumble?"
…
I get Owen's agony. Heck, I respect it. He's not going to start following the Los Angeles Jaguars when they finally move to town. He's a Niner fan for life. 2-14 or 14-2, those are Owen's guys. Which is why, I imagine, it was easy for Owen to pivot from the agony of defeat to the thrill of loyalty. Trying to get his son to stop crying, Michael asked him, "If you feel this way, how sad do you think Kyle Williams is?"
Owen paused a second, then asked his dad, "Can I write him a letter to make him feel better?" And from that, an old-fashioned letter -- the ultimate anti-Twitter, the un-social media -- was born.
And in case you're wondering – yes, the letter is just as amazing as you’re imagining it to be in your head. Via Mankiewicz:
Dear Mr. Williams:
We just watched the Playoff game. I feel really bad for you but I wanted to tell you that you had a great season. you sould be very proud, so I wanted to say thank you.
I am your #1 FAN!
Owen Shure
Los Angeles, CA
p.s. your awsome
If that doesn't restore your faith in humanity, nothing will.
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