A boy in Knoxville, Tenn., brought the world face-to-face with the effects of bullying in a way few videos can.
This kid’s emotional video about bullying has rallied the sports world and beyond
#StandWithKeaton
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
Kimberly Jones originally posted the video of her son Keaton after picking him up from school early because he was afraid to go to lunch, in a post which has since been made private. A group of kids have been mercilessly bullying her son by calling him names, pouring milk in his hair, and putting food in his clothes. Keaton asked that she film his message to the world, and since Friday the video has gone viral. Here was her explanation of the video on Facebook:
“For the record, Keaton asked to do this AFTER he had he me pick him up AGAIN because he was afraid to go to lunch. My kids are by no stretch perfect, & at home, he’s as all boy as they come, but by all accounts he’s good at school. Talk to your kids. I’ve even had friends of mine tell me they’re kids were only nice to him to get him to mess with people. We all know how it feels to want to belong, but only a select few know how it really feels not to belong anywhere.”
It didn’t take long before the sports world took notice, and it started with Tennessee Volunteers players, who are going to visit Keaton this week. At least these guys already have:
The Tennessee Titans found out, and immediately got to work to find Keaton and his family. Delanie Walker wants to have Keaton and his family to the Titans’ Dec. 31 game against Jacksonville.
Offensive tackle Taylor Lewan wants to visit Keaton at school too.
The Cavaliers took notice, with JR Smith and LeBron James wanting to invite him to a game when they play in Memphis.
But that is only the beginning, because as the video kept traveling more and more people outside of Tennessee took notice. Keaton’s story sadly isn’t rare, and it’s up to everyone to stand against bullying.
People have set up a GoFundMe for Keaton, to set up a college fund. In less than 24 hours almost $20,000 has been donated — including a $2,000 donation from comedian Patton Oswalt.
This tweet really sums it all up:
#StandWithKeaton
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