Move over, Ron Rivera. There’s a new coach in town. On Tuesday, 6-year-old Braylon Beam signed a contract to be the head coach of his favorite team, the Carolina Panthers, for a day. Braylon will now have the opportunity to coach Cam Newton and the rest of the Panthers players during Fan Fest at Bank of America Stadium on August 7.
Braylon, a spunky kindergartner from Denver, North Carolina, was diagnosed with a brain tumor back in February that has caused him to partially lose his vision. He started garnering national attention because of the amazing idea that he and his family came up with to help get him through chemotherapy treatments – just dance through the pain. Each time Braylon has to undergo a chemo session, he and his dad will start a dance party to make the experience better. Braylon was invited to go on the Ellen DeGeneres show, where he inspired the talk show host to start the #JustKeepDancing challenge. The campaign now works to raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer. While on the Ellen show, Braylon also shared with the audience that his dream was to one day coach the Panthers.
On Tuesday, the Panthers organization, with the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, decided to make Braylon’s dream come true. The team’s president, Danny Morrison, showed up at Rock Springs Elementary School and surprised Braylon with a one-day coaching contract and a signing bonus, a basket of assorted snacks. The 6-year-old also received a video message from Panthers GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Ron Rivera:
“We received your application to be the head coach of the Carolina Panthers, and like everybody else that we bring into the organization, we certainly check their background, because character is very important to us. You’ve certainly shown great character, perseverance, tough-mindedness in order to overcome your cancer and fight the fight. We love your energy. We love who you are, and we’ve reviewed and I’ve approved your contract.”
Gettleman also said that in order to fulfill his side of the contract, Braylon would have to teach the team his dance moves. I think he’s definitely up for the challenge!
Source: ESPN
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