Both Ohio St.and Virginia Tech are doing the right thing Monday night by honoring the two victims slain earlier this week by yet another senseless shooting made possible by lax gun control regulations. The two teams will play Monday night sporting helmet decals in homage to the two WDBJ journalists shot and killed by a mad man who easily obtained a firearm without much of a screening process.
According to the school, Ohio St. asked for permission to wear the same helmet stickers Va Tech will display, and the request was quickly granted.
Also, a 30-second moment of remembrance for the two victims will be observed prior to the Star-Spangled banner.
https://twitter.com/PaulMBanks/status/639616233000837121
“Ohio St. expressed a desire to show its solidarity with Virginia Tech in remembering the vibrant lives of Alison Parker and Adam Ward,” Tech Director of Athletics Whit Babcock said in a statement.
“Coach Beamer and I both agreed it was a wonderful gesture on the part of Gene Smith (Ohio St. AD), Urban Meyer (head coach) and the Buckeyes. We hope fans of both teams join us in hopefully providing some solace to the friends, families and co-workers who continue to miss Alison and Adam.”
Here’s a look at the decals:
Parker and Ward were killed why doing a live broadcast for Roanoke, Virginia’s CBS affiliate, WDBJ-7, last week at Smith Mountain Lake, which is a little more than an hour’s drive from Tech’s Blacksburg campus.
The helmet decal features the number 7 alongside teal and maroon ribbons, and the initials of both victims.
Teal was Parker’s favorite color, while the maroon ribbon represents Ward, a 2011 VT. Obviously, this shooting hits home for Virginia Tech, not just because of geography, but also due to yet another senseless mass shooting; which occurred on their campus in 2007. Very classy move by Ohio St. and VT.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 the Zone.
Follow him on Twitter and Instagram