Posted on 09/08/2013 9:07:23 PM PDT by dead
Somewhere amidst the haze of knowing his right leg had been blown off -- maybe before knowing his brother’s right leg was gone, too, but definitely after deciding his girlfriend would leave him -- Paul Norden got Ray Rice’s message.
And smiled.
This isn’t a story about victims. It’s a story about survivors. Three from the Boston Marathon bombing and one named Ray Rice.
Paul Norden became a Baltimore Ravens fan the same day the team came into existence. Forget that he was raised nine miles north of Boston and almost never left the city’s suburbs. Forget that liking anyone but the New England Patriots was not trendy in any of those zip codes. As a 15-year-old in 1996, he cast his lot with the Ravens and that was that.
Paul Norden proudly displays his Ravens memorabilia in the heart of Patriots territory.
Norden fell for Ray Rice back when Rice was a diminutive, yard-hoarding workhorse of a tailback at Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights were on regional TV a bunch and, well, Rice scored a lot of touchdowns. Sitting above the guest-room bed in the home of Norden’s girlfriend, Jacqui Webb, near the autographed Ravens helmet Norden bought online, is a Ray Rice action figure in Rutgers home reds, a Christmas present from Jacqui.
Paul has simple tastes. He wears plain white T-shirts most days. He steals his brother’s gym shorts and doesn’t want for expensive things. Still, there’s a clear rule of gift-giving with Paul, Jacqui says: “Every holiday or birthday, no matter what you want to get him, you have to get him something Ravens, too.”
Ray Rice was at home in New York on April 15, when two brothers allegedly placed two bombs on Boylston Street in Boston...
(Excerpt) Read more at nfl.com ...
Wow! Thanks for posting. An exceptional story that brings tears to the eyes.
Glad you enjoyed it. I’ve met Ray Rice a few times, both before and after he became a big nfl star, and he was the same every time - genuinely gracious and friendly. I think he really helped these three deal with their rough road.
Maryland PING!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.