National Football League

Roy Williams sends note, autographed pic to boy who was reportedly bullied

Published May. 13, 2015 1:10 p.m. ET

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North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams brightened the day of a boy who reportedly experienced being violently bullied.

According to a report from WHEC (Rochester), 11-year-old Drew Summerlin, who has Asperger's syndrome, suffered a concussion and was hospitalized after he was reportedly attacked during a lunch period at his middle school. His mother, Jamie, says weeks of cyberbulling preceded the physical abuse, featuring troubling online comments.

“He was very broken. My son was broken. He sat on the couch, he had a concussion,” the boy’s mother said, according to WHEC.

“I felt like no one likes me at all or thinks that I’m strange,” said Drew, who was reportedly still at home recovering one week after the attack.

Williams learned of Summerlin’s heartbreaking story despite the fact the young man lives in upstate New York -- although the Tar Heels shirt Drew was wearing during a television news interview may have helped bring the story to the coach's attention -- and sent a thoughtful letter to the young man as well as an autographed team photo.

The letter read in part:

An incredibly thoughtful gesture by Williams, to be sure, and one that probably went a long way toward helping young Drew feel some semblance of comfort after how horribly he was reportedly treated by his classmates.

Sadly, it’s a story that's all too common, which makes the gestures of Williams and Tiger Woods -- who also recently sent a letter of support to a bullied teen -- so encouraging.

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