Vikings kicker meets supportive, letter-writing 1st-graders

There’s a nice side note to this story: a class of first graders at Northpoint Elementary School in Blaine, MN, wrote Walsh notes to cheer him up.

Almost 100 first-graders wrote letters to the kicker to say they remained his fans.

EA ran the Instagram video-game simulation shot as a Throwback Thursday post to Sunday, when Walsh excruciatingly shanked a game-winning field goal, allowing the Seattle Seahawks to leave Minnesota with a 10-9 NFC Wild-Card game victory in tow.

“I’m so touched for what these kids did”. “There’s a lot of true great Minnesotans when it comes to being Vikings fans, and they showed their true colors with the way they’ve treated me in a positive way”.

“First off, I just wanted to come by and say hello to all you guys and girls and say thank you very much for all the letters you wrote, and cards”. Walsh warms up, and the field goal unit heads onto the field for an all-but-routine 27-yard attempt. Walsh isn’t a hero for how he reacted or a goat for how me missed.

Her students made cards for Walsh, each one containing words of encouragement only a 1st grader could imagine.

The kicker also took questions – like if he has a dog (yes, a poodle) and where he lives – and also signed autographs for the children, some of whom were wearing Vikings jerseys. “I just felt for him”.

Walsh high-fives a young fan.

“Kids like you are willing to do kind things like that for somebody you don’t even know”. They don’t know anything about me. “For them to show that kindness, and to show that empathy for me, is remarkable”. But I never wish ill will on another kicker just because I know how hard it is and what those situations mean.