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Young Author Of Encouraging Letter Meets Jonathan Sutherland Prior To White Out

Mason Young, the Penn State football fan who wrote a letter of encouragement to Jonathan Sutherland earlier this month, got the chance to hang out on the sidelines and meet his favorite Nittany Lion prior to the Penn State White Out on Saturday.

Young told Penn State Athletics that Sutherland, who received a racist letter about his dreadlocks from alumnus Dave Petersen, gave him some awesome advice during their brief sideline meeting.

“He said, ‘Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do anything,'” Young said.

Mason was a bit shy on camera during his interview with Penn State Athletics’ Hannah Mears, but he got the chance to be much louder earlier in the day. He led a “We Are” chant at the Nittany Lions’ official fan fest prior to the team’s arrival at Beaver Stadium.

The young boy sent Sutherland a heartwarming card after news broke of the racist letter on October 7. Dave Petersen’s letter called Sutherland’s dreads “disgusting” and “certainly not attractive,” and Young’s message to his favorite Penn State player was a stark contrast from that.

“Don’t listen to the people who sent you that mean letter! You are my favorite player and the BEST!” he wrote. “That hair is amazing! WOWEE! I wish I had that!”

On top of that, Young told Sutherland that he thinks the safety’s hair is magical and allows him to hit opposing players harder. It doesn’t get any much more wholesome than this, folks.

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About the Author

Mikey Mandarino

In the most upsetting turn of events, Mikey graduated from Penn State with a digital & print journalism degree in the spring of 2020. He covered Penn State football and served as an editor for Onward State from 2018 until his graduation. Mikey is from Bedminster, New Jersey, so naturally, he spends lots of time yelling about all the best things his home state has to offer. Mikey also loves to play golf, but he sucks at it because golf is really hard. If you, for some reason, feel compelled to see what Mikey has to say on the internet, follow him on Twitter @Mikey_Mandarino. You can also get in touch with Mikey via his big-boy email address: [email protected]

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