One student gave Walsh a gift of a stuffed animal, which he thinks is a chameleon.
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“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”.
“For them to show this empathy and kindness towards me is remarkable”, Walsh said Thursday.
Walsh, of course, missed a 27-yard field goal attempt with 26 seconds remaining in regulation during last weekend’s game against the Seahawks that would have given the Vikings a 12-10 lead and a likely victory.
Walsh said he has not heard from Gary Anderson, another great kicker who missed a pivotal field goal for the Vikings in the 1998 playoffs.
Teacher Judie Offerdahl at Northpoint Elementary in Blaine used Walsh’s miss as a teachable moment in empathy.
The feelings of Vikings fans were clearly not a concern of EA Sports as they brutally trolled Walsh in a “Throwback Thursday” Instagram post.
The class wrote Walsh letters of support that ranged from heartfelt to amusing, all with the intention of boosting his spirits.
“Kids like you are willing to do kind things like that for somebody you don’t even know”, Walsh told the students. He has already expressed that he felt he let everyone down because of it. However, seeing that his teammates and the kids of Minnesota are there to encourage and support him should mean a lot to the Vikings kicker.
One kid’s letter quoted in the Minneapolis StarTribune reads “Everyone makes mistakes sometimes”. Others said that it was OK to make mistakes and suggested that maybe with a little more practice, Walsh might have better luck next year. You can’t help but feel very bad for him.
Walsh was devastated after the game. “Keep on trying. Puppys are cute”.
He left with the knowledge that Sofia Doffin summed up with her initial message to him earlier this week. “Don’t worry – it’s just a game”.
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