I have two sons. Trey is the older, and Trent, the younger. Though it still seems hard for me to write these words, Trent, an undersized slot receiver that had a grand total of one scholarship offer to play college football, is now in his fifth year in the NFL. As if that weren’t enough, he is a member of the Super Bowl-bound Cincinnati Bengals.
Trent’s road has not been without its potholes. He missed his first Super Bowl, and, indeed, his entire third season with the San Francisco 49ers with an injury. After his fourth year, and at the expiration of his rookie contract, the 49ers elected not to sign Trent to a new agreement. Only the Bengals made an offer, and after signing with them, Trent spent the first half of the season relegated to the practice squad. But a few weeks later, how things have changed! Trent has become the very embodiment of a principle we embrace, that of Winning Through Adversity.
Morgan Taylor is a second-grade teacher in my hometown of Corbin, KY. Corbin is a little town in Southeastern Kentucky with its heritage planted in the history of Appalachian coal mining. I grew up there, and Trent lived there through his second-grade year.
A friend of mine passed her remarks on to me. I hope you enjoy them and encourage everyone around you to persevere and make a difference!
Enjoy the read from Morgan Taylor, a 2nd Grade Teacher from Corbin, KY
This is her verbal message to her students on 2-4-22.
"I am a 2nd grade teacher at Corbin Primary and my boys came in Monday morning pumped and talking all about the game (Bengals at Chiefs - AFC Championship Game 1-30-22). I smiled and listened to them excitedly talking about everything that had happened before I stopped them and said, 'You want to know something cool, one of them started out here in Corbin (Corbin, KY - my hometown, my boys finished high school at Evangel in Shreveport, LA) playing youth football just like you!' A few of them knew and some of them did not, but they all knew who Trent was, the play (2pt reception from Joe Burrow) to tie the game he’d made the night before, and they were all ears.
“I talked to them about what I know of Trent’s story from my Uncle Martin Earl (Pennington, a friend of mine from High School that played football at University of Kentucky) and how he’s faced injuries over the last few years that could have caused him to give up, but that he had never let those excuses bring him down and that he had worked hard, stayed ready, and had even moved teams and not always been in the starting line-up and was sometimes only on the practice squad.
“I told them that never stopped him though and that his positive attitude, hard work, and determination to keep going kept him ready and landed him on the sideline on Sunday night ready to step up, and get in the game, and get the job done!
“They were amazed and inspired to know that someone from our hometown had made it to the top of the game they love so much.”
Be the light in the darkness, so you can provide a way out of adversity, with hope and courage.
GO BENGALS!
THE JOURNEY CONTINUES!
See YOU IN L.A.!
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