Whitworth gets rightful send-off in Super Bowl

I promised myself I would focus on the positive if my Super Bowl prediction came to pass.
I promised myself I wouldn’t brag, gloat or rub it in if I happened to be correct about the Super Bowl.
I promised myself that, regardless of the outcome, I would make it a point to praise someone for a fantastic accomplishment.
So, here I am, following through on my word.
But, if we’re being honest, it’s the exact outcome I would’ve wanted.
Not for team allegiance reasons. This is Louisiana. The majority of us are LSU Tigers through-and-through. If you didn’t go there, you certainly know someone who did and it’s probably a near certainty that you grew up cheering for them.
So, it’s under those circumstances that I present the following statement after the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl LVI…
The right team won.
Gasp …
Rhett, didn’t the Rams defeat your beloved New Orleans Saints on a botched call in 2018? Rhett, aren’t you still angry about that all these years later?
Yes, they did. And no, I’m not.
For this reason: time marches on. I’m not going to live in the past. Sure, that was awful. But, we’ll keep moving forward.
The right team won because the type of guy you want your kids to grow up to be was finally able to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
I’m talking about Andrew Whitworth. A multiple-time Pro Bowler, an LSU alum, a legend in his own right and an all-around genuinely good person.
Hold the colors he played for against him all you want. I’m here to say I will not. For many reasons …
First, the man embodied an underdog story. For many years, he played for those same Cincinnati Bengals he played against in the Super Bowl before it was cool to cheer for them. At a very high level, as well. Whitworth was never considered an elite offensive tackle, though that was probably a matter of where he played most of his career.
Second, I’m a big fan of productive struggling. Whitworth embodied that, always dragging himself onto the field in the latter part of his career despite multiple injuries. He played through pain, and always at a high level.
Third, he’s an LSU Tiger. Not just any Tiger, either. He’s a part of the group that helped shape the program you see today. No, he didn’t give you a memorable season like Burrow did in 2019. But, for perspective … Whitworth was part of an LSU recruiting class that is probably the greatest one the Tigers have ever signed. Whitworth was a five-star recruit, and was the fourth-best player signed in that class.
Lastly, as mentioned, he’s the type of man I want my son to grow up to be. He’s smart. He’s compassionate. He’s tough. Mostly importantly, his heart is good. We could all do worse than to hope our kids grow up to be even a small modicum of the man Andrew Whitworth is.
So, all-in-all, I guess what I’m saying is that I’m happy that the “bad guys” won the big game. Because, when the smoke cleared, the biggest and best role model on the field finally got to experience a glory he never had before in what was likely his last game.
Here’s to Big Whit. A warrior. A legend. A role model.
Thanks for the memories. And enjoy riding off into the sunset as King of the Mountain.