Former Michigan offensive lineman Elliott Mealer recently opened up for the first time about how former Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel sent his family flowers and a heartfelt message after his family suffered from a major tragedy.
Before Mealer arrived at Michigan, he was involved in a car accident in 2007 that killed his father, his girlfriend and left his brother paralyzed. Despite losing out on him as a recruit, Jim Tressel decided to reach out by sending flowers.
Then in 2010 when Michigan honored Brock Mealer by having him walk out and touch the famous “M Club” banner, Tressel sent along a heartfelt, handwritten note.
Former UM OL talks for first time about a note Jim Tressel sent his family in 2010. http://t.co/5ue6d1zPFn pic.twitter.com/YhDgWbiP7O
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 1, 2015
This was a pretty cool gesture and Mealer had this to say about it:
“I’ve never shared this before, but I think that it’s a part of the story that should be told,” Mealer said. “To have an Ohio State coach write ‘Go Blue!’ on a card. How neat was that?”
Sometimes things are more important than the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry and it’s very cool to see Tressel recognize that.