Support Texas Tech Athletes No Matter What

I am sure most of you have heard about that a member of the football program was involved in a serious car accident. Kyle Heffron, the Red Raider deep snapper, was rushed to the hospital yesterday morning after a crash near University and the Marsha Sharp Freeway. The good news is he will make a full recover from his injuries based on Coach Kingsbury's statement from yesterday.

"We continue to gather information on Kyle's accident this morning and obviously our primary concern is his health and well-being," he said. "We have been in contact with Kyle's family throughout the day. We all expect that he'll make a full recovery soon."

I think now is the perfect time, before the season, starts to remember that as much as we love our university and supporting the Red Raider athletic program there are many more important things in life than the wins and losses. Passion is what makes college football the best sport in the country. We feel more invested in the Red Raiders than other teams  because we paid tuition and/or donate to the school. Some of us grew up watching our parents support Tech, so the red and black fever has been pumping through our veins since before we can remember. That passion and emotion is the same thing that causes good fans to lose their minds sometimes.

I know I speak to the small minority when I say this, but these are kids with families, dedicating their own time and representing our university that deserve our respect whether we win or lose. Purchasing a ticket to a game doesn't give anyone the right to put players down because they have a bad game. Same goes for the visiting teams. Sure, give them a good hiss or boo as they come onto the field and make noise on third down so their offense can't audible. Outside of that, spend all your time and energy building up our players, not tearing them or the visiting players down. Treat them as if they were your own kid. They aren't professionals, just kids lucky enough to do what most of us wish we could.

We wish you a speedy recovery Kyle!