Carolina Panthers: A reply to Olsen’s “thank you” note

Thank you to the Carolina Panthers legend.

To Greg Olsen on behalf of me and my extended family and friends in Panther Nation in response to your statement regarding your exit from the Panthers,

To some, you are “Greg”. To others, you are “Mr. Olsen”. To me and countless fans of the team, you are the one and only “Mr. Reliable”. Although I never had the chance to meet you myself I did look up to you and your contributions to the Charlotte community, and I want you to know your inspiration extends further beyond Charlotte. Much further than you think.

Being able to balance your obligations between your football family and your actual family for the last nine years must have been a lot tougher than you made it seem. That’s part of what makes you such a venerable figure both on and off the field, and that’s what inspires people to be the best at what they do for their families and with their families.

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There is no single football highlight that can accurately describe how great you really are. When I think about football I think about the portion of LaDanian Tomlinson’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony speech where he says “Football is a microcosm of America”. In agreeing with what he says, I would like to extend the metaphor to the Panthers. The organization that battles for two states under one unified banner is a true representation of the American identity within America. The people who hold the union together through good and bad times embody the leadership and principles this country was founded on.

Camaraderie is hard to come by on a team facing harsh conditions, and it’s even harder to find in that team’s fan base (particularly with notable figures having questionable futures). That’s how you know the people still coming out and doing their best to win are keepers. That’s also what makes it hard to see them leave.

A player with your level of ability deserves to play in the playoffs every year and should have the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl again. It will make us very sad to see you suited up for another team, but we will be happy to see you happy.

You’re the kind of person whose work ethic inspires others on good days, bad days, and every day in between. Your product on the field gets a lot of praise, but it’s all of the fine tuning that it takes to maintain your level of production that is truly inspiring. In that sense we can relate our lives to yours as we strive to master our own crafts.

Over the next few days a lot of people will draw comparisons between you and other great tight ends in football history, One day there will be people comparing new blood to the great Greg Olsen. They’ll talk about everything you have accomplished in your career as a football player, everything you didn’t accomplish, and how others can live up to that. Setting high standards is paramount to success, but consistently raising high standards ever higher is what sets the status for a legend.

One day you’ll find yourself standing on a stage donning a golden jacket, and when you do it’ll be well deserved. Until then, Keep Pounding, Mr. Reliable.

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