Riley Nelson Exemplifies BYU's Mission

Much has been said about BYU's religious mission, especially now that football independence has given the university a huge megaphone to spread its message. Sports fans took notice when Brandon Davies was kicked off the basketball team, and everyone now knows that BYU is serious about its convictions.

It's encouraging to read about BYU sports players also taking those convictions seriously. Today I read a great story about BYU quarterback Riley Nelson that made me proud to support the positive message that BYU promotes. BYUtv.org reposted a story from BYU Magazine about Nelson showing true Christ-like compassion for a misfit kid visiting campus with his school class.

You can read the story yourself, but basically put, Riley Nelson took a few minutes when a school visited campus to empathize with a child who was having trouble fitting in with his new classmates and who was having troubles at home. The child, who had expressed hatred toward BYU all day long, told his camp counselor at the end of the day, "I want to be what [Nelson] has been for me today for someone else--because nobody has ever been like that for me."

We here at the Sports Bros think that every once in a while it's good to step back and remember that some things are more important than football (it's a very short list). As we get ready for gameday, let's look for someone to lift up and show them what it's like to be a BYU Cougar.