Michael Kinney
NORMAN — Over the past few months, news surrounding college and pro athletes has not been very impressive. From infidelity to drug use, we tend to pay attention to off the field activities only when it involves a police blotter.
It happens so much, that when a sports hero does something that is worth calling attention to, we dismiss it as trivial or fluff news.
That seemed to be the case last month when somehow all the major news media and newspapers either bypassed it or only briefly mentioned the good deed Shaquille O’Neal performed.
The 17-year NBA star has done many, many things off the basketball court throughout his career that deserved to be written about. From his charity organizations to his work as a volunteer for law enforcement agencies, the giant of a man has been a role model for other athletes to follow. Yet, what he did this time goes past all of his other accomplishments.
Nov. 10, 5-year old Shaniya Davis was reported missing by her mother, Antionette Davis. After the police deemed she had been kidnapped, the man-hunt for the North Carolina native was played on television across the nation to millions of viewers.
Six days after her kidnapping, Davis was found. Authorities believe that after she was kidnapped, she was raped and murdered before her body was found about 30 miles from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Davis mother was charged with human trafficking and police have said they believe she was prostituting the girl. Her alleged accomplice, Mario McNeill, is charged with murder, rape and kidnapping in the case.
Like the millions of others, the 37-year old O’Neal followed the story daily. And the father of five said he was touched deeply by Davis’ story.
It impacted him so much that he picked up the phone and contacted Rogers and Breece Funeral Home and said he would be paying for Davis’ funeral.
“I was sitting at home watching it on the news and the story brought a tear to my eye,” O’Neal told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. “What happened to her was tragic. I wanted her to have a funeral that would be as beautiful as she was.”
More than 2,000 people showed up for Davis’ funeral last month at the Manna Church in Fayetteville. While the funeral home will not confirm it, it’s believed the funeral cost as much as $4,500.
In the grand scheme of things, that price is almost insignificant to a man who has made upward of $20 million a season during his 17 year career. But to Davis’ father, Bradley Lockhart, it’s a burden the father does not have to worry about as he tries to cope with the loss of his daughter. Lockhart said that the money Shaq gave them has been put into a trust fund to pay for the girl’s funeral and that the remaining money will be donated to a charitable cause.
This is not O’Neal’s first time helping a family in need. In 2005, after NBA Hall-Of-Famer George Mikan died after a long battle with diabetes, O’Neal offered to pay for funeral expenses. The Mikan family accepted.
Yet, what Shaq did for the Davis stands out because he had no prior contact with her or the family. He wasn’t prompted by his public relations manager or trying to make himself out to be a hero. He saw someone in need and offered a helping hand.
The example Shaq set for those who have done well in life. Not just athletes, but all people.
It may not get them the top story on ESPN, but the impact they make will last a lot longer.
