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Very thoughtful and generous gesture by Cooks. More players should follow his lead.
ATLANTA — So much of Alfonso Garcia’s work at the Los Angeles Rams headquarters in Thousand Oaks, Calif., could go unnoticed, but Brandin Cooks always watched the way Garcia, the Rams’ custodian, went about his job.
“He’s someone that I just found myself drawn to when I got there,’’ said Cooks, who was traded from New England to Los Angeles last year and will cross paths with his former team on Sunday in the Super Bowl. “I see him around the facility all the time.’’
For Cooks, Garcia became a symbol of all the pieces that make a machine run smoothly. The Rams mantra all year has been “We Not Me,’’ and as they set out for Atlanta, Cooks took it an extra step and surprised Garcia with a pair of Super Bowl tickets last week.
“The guy is special,’’ Cooks said. “He keeps our locker room in tip-top shape. He has such a special soul.’’
Garcia was called into the office of Rams general manager Les Snead, where Cooks was waiting to deliver the gift in person. The nervousness Garcia felt when he initially walked into the office turned to joy when he realized what was happening.
“I just thought it would be special for him to understand that this is a team,’’ Cooks said. “He’s a part of that success as well, and I wanted to make sure he was at the Super Bowl with his son to be able to enjoy.’’
Cooks took care of all of Garcia’s accommodations — travel and lodging. Garcia will take his son, Josh.
“He’s going to be set for the whole weekend,’’ Cooks said.
In just one season, teammates have come to know this as the type of person Cooks is.
“Friend, family, faith. You see a guy who consistently doesn’t step on the field without a prayer,’’ said fellow receiver Robert Woods. “Doesn’t put on his gloves without a prayer. Doesn’t put on his cleats without a prayer. Just someone who you want as a teammate, you want as a friend, who is a leader. I know he looks up to me, me being one year older than him.
“But just stuff that I see off the field that he’s done, just truly a blessing. This past week, he gave our janitor tickets to the Super Bowl. I walked by and just happened to see that. That’s just the type of teammate, type of person he is. Really just a leader.”
https://www.boston.com/sports/new-en...O5olDf6ejW71z0
ATLANTA — So much of Alfonso Garcia’s work at the Los Angeles Rams headquarters in Thousand Oaks, Calif., could go unnoticed, but Brandin Cooks always watched the way Garcia, the Rams’ custodian, went about his job.
“He’s someone that I just found myself drawn to when I got there,’’ said Cooks, who was traded from New England to Los Angeles last year and will cross paths with his former team on Sunday in the Super Bowl. “I see him around the facility all the time.’’
For Cooks, Garcia became a symbol of all the pieces that make a machine run smoothly. The Rams mantra all year has been “We Not Me,’’ and as they set out for Atlanta, Cooks took it an extra step and surprised Garcia with a pair of Super Bowl tickets last week.
“The guy is special,’’ Cooks said. “He keeps our locker room in tip-top shape. He has such a special soul.’’
Garcia was called into the office of Rams general manager Les Snead, where Cooks was waiting to deliver the gift in person. The nervousness Garcia felt when he initially walked into the office turned to joy when he realized what was happening.
“I just thought it would be special for him to understand that this is a team,’’ Cooks said. “He’s a part of that success as well, and I wanted to make sure he was at the Super Bowl with his son to be able to enjoy.’’
Cooks took care of all of Garcia’s accommodations — travel and lodging. Garcia will take his son, Josh.
“He’s going to be set for the whole weekend,’’ Cooks said.
In just one season, teammates have come to know this as the type of person Cooks is.
“Friend, family, faith. You see a guy who consistently doesn’t step on the field without a prayer,’’ said fellow receiver Robert Woods. “Doesn’t put on his gloves without a prayer. Doesn’t put on his cleats without a prayer. Just someone who you want as a teammate, you want as a friend, who is a leader. I know he looks up to me, me being one year older than him.
“But just stuff that I see off the field that he’s done, just truly a blessing. This past week, he gave our janitor tickets to the Super Bowl. I walked by and just happened to see that. That’s just the type of teammate, type of person he is. Really just a leader.”
https://www.boston.com/sports/new-en...O5olDf6ejW71z0
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