On the football field, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith is known for being tough as nails and a ruthless trash talker. Seriously, that guy is the most amazing trash talker, and he’ll trash talk anyone — opposing players, bloggers, Twitter trolls, even Santa.
Off the field, however, Smith has a softer side, one he showed recently when he took a girl with special needs to her high school prom in North Carolina.
Aubrey Bridges has autism and a rare disorder called “vein of Galen Malformation,” which makes communication difficult for her. As we all know, dance is a universal language, so when the 18-year-old saw Smith dancing on video — as he often does during games — she decided he would make a great date.
After Smith was tipped off to this, he decided to make the first move, because he’s a boss like that. Not only did he ask Aubrey to prom, he also bought her a diamond necklace and earrings that she could wear to the dance.
Aubrey’s mom said Steve came to meet Aubrey and their family earlier in the week. He came alone. It wasn’t for publicity. No one asked him to go. He brought her a diamond earrings and necklace.
When we asked Steve why he made that trip, he said he just wanted to make Aubrey’s night special and didn’t want prom to be their first “date.”
“All these obstacles that she has been through,” he said. “The high expectations her family has put on her. The fact she has met them all. That’s how we should know her. That’s the label I think she deserves. ‘Aubrey. The Girl Who Has Overcome the Challenges’. Not ‘Aubrey. The Autistic Girl’.”
It appears the couple had a great night, with the proverbial cherry on top being that Aubrey took home the student-voted Prom Queen honors, which she seemed very, very excited about. What a story.
(Via WBTV)
