Football Players Spearhead “Danny Appreciation Day” To Help Younger Bullied Boy

We can learn an important lesson about appreciating people from a group of 11-year-old football players who stood up in support of a kid who was being bullied.

Meet Danny Keefe, Water Coach

Danny Keefe suffered a brain hemorrhage after his birth. He defied the odds and has thrived, but not without side effects. It caused him to have speech delays and made him the subject of a bully.

Six-year-old Danny was teased for his speech and his clothing, which he took great pride in. He has a neurological disorder called apraxia that causes problems with sounds, syllables, and words.

When the football players got wind of this bullying, they knew they had to do something. Rather than go after the bully, the boys decided to support Danny instead.

Danny became their team’s water coach and wore a suit every day. It was his signature look.

Danny Appreciation Day

So, these boys decided to have a day where they all wore suits in solidarity with their young friend. They wanted to lift his spirits by showing him how much they admire him.

This was orchestrated by Tommy Cooney, the team’s quarterback. He came up with “Danny Appreciation Day” and every member of the team wanted to participate to show support for their favorite teammate.

“He’s such a good person. He doesn’t let it bother him. He goes on with his day. He’s a 6-year-old kid. We should all respect that,” Tommy said.

Local Television Interview

The Bridgewater, Massachusetts boys were interviewed in 2013 by a local television station. Their love for their young friend who was facing a tough time is evident.

One of the boys is even brought to tears when he talks about Danny in the video below.

These boys are an inspiration and terrific examples of what it looks like to stand up against bullying. We can learn a lot from these 11-year-old role models.

Share this story of kindness if you support Danny, too!