Notre Dame Lacrosse Player, Hero, Stops A Robbery And Prevents A Child From Entering A Life Of Crime
Source - Notre Dame senior Tommy McNamara was having lunch with a friend at The General restaurant in South Bend on Friday. While he was eating, he said he noticed another young man moving suspiciously about the establishment.
“I kind of noticed this kid who had his hoodie on, kind of walking around the place. Little bit of strange activity,” he said.
A few minutes later, the man grabbed another customer’s purse and bolted out of the establishment...Not missing a beat, McNamara, a member of the Notre Dame lacrosse team, rose from his seat and took off after the thief.
...After chasing the individual for a substantial distance through the streets of South Bend — McNamara estimated the chase lasted between five and seven minutes — McNamara persuaded the thief to stop running.
“I eventually start saying, ‘I’m not trying to get you in trouble … I’ll give you $20, just give me the purse. I get it,’” McNamara said. “He finally stops. I approach him slowly and say, ‘Dude, I’m not trying to get you in trouble. I have 20 bucks. Take it, you just can’t take this purse.’”
The few. The proud. The lax rats all across the globe.
By now everybody knows that lacrosse players are generally the greatest dudes on the planet. We're here to have a good time, sure, but we're also here to make the world a better place. Do we care to crush some cold ones with the boys after a big win? Absolutely. But do we also care to help others in need and rid the world of crime and violence? You're goddamn right we do.
And that's exactly what Notre Dame lacrosse player Tommy McNamara did last Friday when a robbery took place and South Bend was in need of a protector. (Tommy is also a Delco guy, not a big deal or anything). But yeah, one moment he's just grabbing a bite to eat for lunch and the next moment he's springing into action to take down the assailant. Nobody told Tommy McNamara to chase down the robber. He could have easily just stayed in his seat and figure that somebody else would help. But Tommy is a lacrosse player. He knows that not only does he have the speed to chase down the assailant, but he also has the heart and desire. A woman needed her purse and Tommy McNamara needed to save the day.
But what happened next is what really separates lax guys like Tommy McNamara from the rest of the college vigilantes out there. Because once he chased down the perp, he didn't just tackle the kid and wait for the cops to get there. Instead, he knew that this was yet another person who needed saving. Just another life that Tommy McNamara could impact by being a genuinely awesome dude.
“I get up close to him, and look at him, and ask, ‘Dude, how old are you?’ He’s like, ‘I’m in high school.’ He couldn’t have been older than 15 years old,” he said. “I start talking to him for a while. He gave me the purse, and we had a conversation. I actually gave him my phone number. I was like, ‘I understand this is a really tough situation.’ We were just talking for a while about kind of everything. I told him, ‘If you ever need to reach out, I’ve got like 50 teammates who’d have your back. I get it. You’re in high school having to make that decision.’ Think about it. Being 15 years old and your choice is ‘do I or do I not want to steal this woman’s purse for whatever extraneous reason that’s out of his control?’ I gave him 20 bucks and just said, ‘Listen, take my number. Give me a call if you ever want to talk, or need help.’ Then we went our separate ways.”
He just got down chasing this kid down for 10 minutes and now he's going to give him $20 and a "get out of here before you get in any trouble, but here's my number just in case you ever need anything". I mean holy shit. What a move. What an incredible move. He knew that this kid probably didn't want to go down that route and living a life of crime. So instead of getting him in trouble, he gave him the money that he was looking for and a second chance. It doesn't get any better than that.
So shoutout to Tommy McNamara. A legend. A hero. Just one of the boys who realizes that it's a privilege to play this sport, and that the best way to respect the game that has given you so much is to give back. Love it.