Brandon McManus was speaking at his old elementary school in Hatfield, Pennsylvania, and in the assembly sat a kid with good reason to hang onto every word. Dominic Zaffino was a 10-year-old in the middle of a three-and-a-half-year blur of chemotherapy treatments, and one of millions of American students annually victimized by bullies in their midst.
McManus, the Denver Broncos kicker, was telling the gathered girls and boys to be proud of who they are, and to stand up for themselves and others by reporting mistreatment to parents, teachers and guidance counselors. Don't ever be afraid to speak out, the kicker told them, and there was young Dominic thinking to himself, "This is great.