In today’s modern sports world, you are more likely to see the faces of athletes in the paper for their unacceptable behavior rather than anything good, but luckily every once in a while something good will pop out. Such is the case with Brandon Saad, who spoke with Chris Deville of Columbus Monthly and provided this information when talking about his Syrian background.
Chris Deville:
“Your father is Syrian and has brought a lot of your relatives to America to rescue them from the war in Syria. Have you been able to help with that? Does being a professional athlete provide any advantages?”
Brandon Saad:
“I don’t think pro sports really helps too much with that. But with him, it’s been a process of getting them to safety in the States. I helped him sponsor some of the families, so I guess being a professional athlete helped with the financial side of it. If they need the help, I’m here to help them.”
It has always been an interesting argument when discussing professional athletes and the way they handle themselves. Are they role models? While being in the public eye, they are held to a higher standard than most but often times they would rather live a hermit lifestyle and avoid any bad PR. PR doesn’t always have to be bad and what Brandon Saad has done proves that. He didn’t go out and boast about what he did to any publications. This was a snippet in a thousand word interview. This player of Syrian descent should be proud of what he does not only on the ice but off the ice as well. Columbus has a real gem in Saad, who shows that athletes CAN be role models.