Awww…some local first graders tried to cheer up @Vikings kicker Blair Walsh: https://t.co/IieIg5RfiO pic.twitter.com/6k6iQTKvPd
— NFL on CBS đ (@NFLonCBS) January 12, 2016
Vikings kicker Blair Walsh will head to Northpoint Elementary in Blaine Thursday to visit with the group of first graders, who wrote him letters after he missed the game-winning kick in last Sunday’s 10-9 loss to Seattle.
While some are ridiculing the Vikings kicker after he missed a 27-yard field goal to win the game for the Vikings the class did their best to let Walsh know he’s still special.
“He was so close to making it, but he missed it and he was crying at the end… it was sad,” one kid said in a video by KARE 11.
“I want him to feel better… from losing,” another child said.
Another student added: “I’m sorry that lots of people are mad at you.”
This embed is invalid
According to the Star Tribune, the students used Walsh’s misfortune as an opportunity to learn a lesson on empathy, writing letters to the kicker in an attempt to buoy his spirits.
âI knew that Mr. Walsh probably felt horrible about it,â first-grade teacher Judie Offerdahl (a Seahawks fan, by the way) told the newspaper. “I also knew it would be a good teachable moment for the kids.”
Walsh will meet the first grade students, sign autographs and take photos with the kids around 10:30 Thursday morning.