WASHINGTON — There’s been an encouraging trend making its way around the country this week, in light of the recent tensions between law enforcement and the general public over the last couple years.
Down in Gainesville, Florida, a local officer joined in a neighborhood basketball game rather than breaking it up after receiving a complaint, and later brought in some celebrity backup.
That trend arrived in Washington over the weekend, where some D.C. Police took part in a pickup game of football in the snow on 11th street NW between Columbia and Irving (just one of the many ways they kept their sense of humor during the storm). There was just one problem — whoever the poor soul was in charge of defending one particular officer did not think in advance just how he planned to do so.
The play in question starts like so many others in pickup games, loosely organized chaos, followed by a mad scramble to make something happen. The quarterback spins away from a defender out to his left, then finds the officer in question back across the makeshift field to his right. The officer turns up field, avoiding a would-be tackler, and confronts his antagonist, a skinny lad who appears underdressed for the conditions. He is also completely unprepared for the destruction about to be wrought upon him.
@DCPoliceDept officers join a pick up football game in #Snowzilla2016. #blizzard2016 @capitalweather pic.twitter.com/svRD41I1ua
— Katie Tilley (@kbtilley) January 23, 2016
Look at that poor tackling form. Standing on his heels, nearly straight up, knees barely bent, arms outstretched, as if just for show. Perhaps he’s afraid to hurt the man in uniform, or perhaps he just doesn’t know the first thing about playing defense. Either way, his life is about to be split in two, along with his pride, into everything leading up to this moment, and everything that followed.
Oh, the humanity. If he didn’t understand the severity of the stiff-arm laid upon him as it was happening, he surely does now, pants caked in ice, stumbling after the play. His life has ended. He is now a shell of his former self, destined to wander the streets alone in search for meaning.
If you know this man, or if you see him, give him a hug today. As the internet lives forever (and judging by the requests from ESPN, CNN, ABC, Telegraph, The Weather Channel, CBS Sports, et. al to the Twitter user who posted the video asking for permission to use it on air, it’s not going away anytime soon), so will his infamy.
But perhaps he can achieve redemption. Maybe he can get a rematch during the next snowstorm (we hear there’s more on the way later this week). Just somebody, please, teach this man to tackle between now and then.
