NFL Quarterback Christian Ponder, Wife Make Grieving Family’s Day
Not all news coming out of the NFL is bad. Christian Ponder and his wife, Sam Ponder, were enjoying a leisurely day at the mall in Minneapolis when they ran into a family, grieving the recent loss of the mother and wife.
They didn’t know it at the time, but what the NFL quarterback and his wife did really made a difference for Justin Robbins and his two-daughters, Brianna, 9, and Emily, 8. This family had recently suffered the most unimaginable pain, when Maggie Robbins was killed in a tragic car accident a few weeks earlier.
Justin thought it would be a good idea to treat his girls to a little shopping and they headed to one of Minneapolis’ malls to enjoy themselves and forget about the heartache. So they hit Lululemon, Maggie’s favorite store in the mall, where they saw the Minnesota Vikings back-up quarterback Christian Ponder and his family.
Vikings QB Christian Ponder treated a grieving family to a spending spree http://t.co/0D1AfrQiB2 pic.twitter.com/ZWVy9neDDk
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 16, 2014
Brianna spotted the NFL player first, while he shopped with his wife of two-years and Justin approached the couple to get a photo with the 26-year-old athlete. At some point the Robbins family’s situation came up in the conversation and that’s when Christian and Sam Ponder decided they needed to do something to help the dad and his daughters.
Brianna and Emily were thrilled when the store manager told them they could choose whatever their hearts desired because it was already paid for. The happy girls filled their bags with everything under the sun.
“After a while, my daughters had the whole store in a bag,” Justin joked during an interview with Minnesota’s WCCO-TV. “So I decided to say, ‘You’re not getting all those clothes.’ I allowed them to get one outfit.”
The NFL has been plagued by bad publicity after several domestic violence stories surfaced involving high-profile players, so it is good to know that there are others that aim at doing what they can to help those in their communities who are in need. Christian and Sam Ponder don’t want any of the attention they are receiving for their good deed, but rather want the focus to be on the Robbins family tragedy.
Justin Robbins thanked the Ponders for their kindness, as well as the entire community, which has rallied around his young family.
What do you think of NFL quarterback Christian Ponder’s gesture toward this grieving family?
[Image via Facebook]
