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Jesisca Brown
Jul 19, 2017
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Julian Edelman, a New England Patriots wide receiver, is kind of a big deal - but not everyone thought he could achieve fufil his dream of becoming a professional athlete.
Edelman recently shared a photo of a letter he received from a former teacher who told him to set realistic goals when Edelman had shared his ambitions for American football.
Fortunately, Edelman didn't take the advice to heart.
The letter said:
Dear Jules, I'm not sure you will remember me: I was your teacher for your English 100 class at CSM in the spring of 2006.
I've been wanting to write to you for, oh, what seems to be a thousand years, to apologise to you for a flippant comment I made to you that semester. You may not even remember it but I've felt bad about it for years.
You made some comment about 'going to the league' and I said something about setting realistic goals, about how few people enter the ranks of the professional athlete, blah, blah, blah.'I don't think it fazed you, quite frankly, but when I look back on it I feel terrible, not because you proved me wrong but because I voiced an uneducated opinion that implied I had disdain for your passion for the game.
I think it was early in the semester, before I knew you, but how I could ever have doubted your tenacity and grit is beyond me! Again, I doubt you've even thought about it twice, but even so, I'm sorry for wedging my foot so firmly in my mouth that day.
Edelman tweeted the letter and wrote:
Set your goals high. do whatever it takes to achieve them.
Wise words.
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