Players welcome young scholar to Stanford family
HOUSTON — Several cars drove slowly down the street and neighbors started walking around in their yards on a balmy afternoon in Houston’s Third Ward, trying to sneak a peek at what was happening.
An SUV decked out in Houston Texans colors and decals sat a few houses down from Berthinia Rutledge-Brown’s home on Thursday. A few more cars parked behind it and four football players got out and headed toward her house.
While NFL headlines are dominated by national anthem policies and tension between players, owners and fans, four Texans quietly got together to do something that would make a local NFL fan smile.
Brennan Scarlett, Johnson Bademosi, Justin Reid and Peter Kalambayi — all Stanford alumni — wanted to give a proper welcome to a new member of the Cardinal family.
Like the rest of the country, the four Texans have heard the story of Michael Brown.
The 17-year-old Lamar High School senior was offered a full ride to all 20 schools he applied to. After considering other schools including Northwestern, Harvard, Princeton and Yale, Brown chose to attend Stanford.
It was no easy feat. Brown finishes his high school career — he will walk the graduation stage next Saturday — with a 4.68 grade-point average, an SAT score of 1,540 out of 1,600 and an ACT score of 34 out of 36.
He also was involved in debate and does a lot of volunteer work. Interested in majoring in economics or political science, he recently worked on Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner’s election campaign.
“This young man is really impressive,” Reid said. “We were all excited to hear his story and to hear that he chose Stanford. He’s setting a great example and made a great decision.”
Though Brown is not a football player, the four Texans from Stanford have followed his journey since early April when he made national headlines for his accomplishments.
“These are the kinds of stories that we need to hear more of,” said Kalambayi, who recently graduated from Stanford. “There’s so many negative stories out there and this guy has worked extremely hard and now has this great future and opportunity in front of him.
“I’m excited to meet him and get to know him. He’s going to love Stanford.”
The four players showed up with several gifts for Brown — a TV for his dorm room, towels, Texans shirts and several other items that he will be able to use when he makes the move to California in a couple of months.
The gifts were nice. What was better was the time the players spent talking to Brown.
They sat in the family room — a lovely space decorated with family photos and artistic crosses hanging on the walls — and chatted with Brown about the university.
The players were clearly excited for Brown and about their own experiences at Stanford.
Scarlett, who attended Cal before pursuing his master’s degree at Stanford, said he was thrilled to welcome Brown to the family.
“His whole world is going to change,” Scarlett said. “The doors that university opens all over the world are amazing. He made a very smart decision.”
Before the players took Brown outside to show him the SUV full of gifts, Reid urged him to use his gifts for good.
“You have a great thing between your ears,” Reid told him. “Use that blessing to bless other people.”
Brown already has a head start on that.
Last week, he spoke at two Houston elementary schools, spreading the message that hard work and determination pay off.
He’s the shining example of that.
After spending the afternoon with the Brown family, the Texans left grinning. They were genuinely touched by Brown and his mother and their story.
“You’re going to do great things,” Bademosi told him. “We were really inspired to hear about you and really happy you ended up choosing Stanford.
“People are talking about you all over the city. We’re really proud to be here and to meet you. Welcome to the Stanford family.”