Shop
 Explore 

High schooler mocked for wearing the same clothes every day surprised by football players

"The best day of my entire life, basically."

High schooler mocked for wearing the same clothes every day surprised by football players

via Reddit

When Michael Todd started his freshman year at MLK prep school in Memphis, Tennessee two years ago, he only had one outfit to wear to school. High school kids can be incredibly cruel and Michael was mocked for three weeks for wearing the same clothes every day.

"I really don't have clothes at home," he told KTVI. "My mom can't buy clothes for me because I'm growing too fast."

Kristopher Graham, a football player at MLK Prep, thought the bullying had gone too far and wanted to do something to help. "When I saw people laugh at him and bully him, I felt like I needed to do something," Kristopher said. He texted his friend Antwan Garrett asking for help.

The next day, Michael was taken out of third period and when he stepped out of the classroom he was approached by Kristopher and Antwan. He froze with nervousness when he saw the two football players stopped him by the lockers.

Football players give student clothes

"I want to apologize to you for laughing at you and I want to give you something to make it up," Kristopher told Michael. The football players handed Michael a gift, bags full of shirts, shorts, and shoes.

Michael couldn't believe the football players' kindness.

"I've been bullied my entire life." But getting the gift was "awesome," he said according to USA Today. "The best day of my entire life, basically."

Video of the gift exchange went viral and has been seen millions of times. A few weeks later, the three teenagers were invited to appear on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" where they were greeted by Will Smith who gave them $10,000 each.

Antwan plans to use the money for trade school to become a diesel engine mechanic and Kristopher wants to invest his portion.

Antwan helped Michael because he understood what he was going through.

"We weren't expecting the video to go viral. We just wanted to make a change," Antwan said according to Commercial Appeal. "I know how it feel not to have nothin'. I don't have much, but it made me feel better by seeing somebody else have. I haven't had like the best of life. Everybody struggles."

"My life has changed from sleeping in a house without no lights. With what is going on the outside affected me in school," Antwan added. "I didn't want to be in school. I wanted to help Michael and make him happy and it made me happy."

The good deed was also commemorated by the Memphis City Council who honored the teens with a resolution and a round of applause.

Kristopher and Antwan are wonderful examples of what can happen when teens are taught that they have a responsibility to one another. While countless kids mocked Michael for something well beyond his control, they saw his plight as an opportunity to drastically change his life by taking action.

Just imagine if everyone saw others' misfortune as an opportunity to help instead of judge.

This article originally appeared on 07.10.21

From Your Site Articles

They watched their wedding cake crash to the ground. The groom's reaction was perfection.

Oh, she married a good one.

Carsten Vollrath/Canva

Imagine watching your four-tier wedding cake hitting the ground before you even get a bite.

It's quite common for people to fantasize about their wedding day—the ceremony, the bridal party, the dress, the cake—and some people spend months or even years meticulously planning every detail. People even spend thousands of dollars hiring wedding planners to make sure that the big day stays fully organized and all the moving parts come together without a hitch.

But no matter how well you plan, sometimes things that simply can't be predicted happen. And how you and your beloved handle the hitches and glitches on your wedding day can say a lot.

Especially when that hitch or glitch is something major…like watching the beautiful, four-tier wedding cake—the one you spent time choosing and lots of money creating to share with your wedding guests—come crashing to the ground right in front of you.

Keep ReadingShow less

Seth Rogen was asked a question about being childless that men never get. His answer was honest.

It's not for everybody.

Stephen McCarthy/Collision via Sportsfile/Wikimedia Commons

Seth Rogen on stage during the opening night of Collision 2019 at Enercare Center in Toronto, Canada.

Childless women in the public eye are often plagued by the question: “So, why don’t you have any children?” It’s a deeply personal question that cuts right to the bone, and there can be many answers. But, if the woman doesn’t want children and says so publicly, she is bound to face some judgment.

"[I don't] like [the pressure] that people put on me, on women—that you've failed yourself as a female because you haven't procreated. I don't think it's fair," Jennifer Aniston told Allure. "You may not have a child come out of your vagina, but that doesn't mean you aren't mothering—dogs, friends, friends' children."

Keep ReadingShow less

At the height of her fame Sinead O'Connor risked everything to stand up against child sexual abuse

She was fearless.

@eyesaw77/Youtube

Sinead O'Conner performing at a 1992 Bob Dylan tribute concert

In 1992, Sinéad O’Connor ignited outrage during her musical act performance on “Saturday Night Live”, when she boldly tore up a photo of the Pope to call for justice against the child sexual abuse epidemic within the Catholic Church, all while singing an acapella version of Bob Marley’s “War.”

The protest angered the network, “SNL” viewers, and even the Vatican, which risked O’Connor’s entire career. But having experienced abuse as a child at the hands of the Catholic Church, she knew she was fighting for something bigger than reputation.

Keep ReadingShow less

Dennis Quaid recalls the spiritual experience that helped him overcome addiction

That's really what we're looking for, the joy of life, which is our gift, actually, the relationship with God that we all have.

commons.wikimedia.org

Quaid first broke into Hollywood for his role in "Breaking Away."

In an exclusive interview with People, actor Dennis Quaid shared how his faith led him towards the path of sobriety, and it’s a great example of the major role that spirituality—that is, the feeling of connection to something greater to yourself, not necessarily in the form of religion—plays in addiction recovery.

Quaid broke into Hollywood in 1979’s “Breaking Away,” and over the next 10 years would become a household name. But at the height of his success, a profound moment caused him to check into a rehab center.

“I remember going home and having kind of a white light experience that I saw myself either dead or in jail or losing everything I had, and I didn't want that,” he recalled to the outlet.

Keep ReadingShow less