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YSU Penguin Athletics => YSU Penguin Athletics => Topic started by: ucfpengbuck on April 11, 2018, 10:07:51 AM

Title: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: ucfpengbuck on April 11, 2018, 10:07:51 AM
http://www.espn.com/blog/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4812789/patriots-derek-rivers-gives-lyft-driver-a-lift-with-his-compassion
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: go guins on April 11, 2018, 10:14:05 AM
You read about ********s in sports every day.  It is wonderful to read a story once in a while about somebody who is truly great!  Extra special when he is one of our own!  I'm proud to have attended the same school as Derek Rivers!  God Bless people like him!
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: ytownchief22 on April 11, 2018, 11:00:10 AM
An all-time YSU great.
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: go guins on April 11, 2018, 01:31:56 PM
An all-time YSU great.
Without question!  Both on and off the field!
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: Double ET on April 11, 2018, 02:23:10 PM
a class act....I hope he will play well this year (hopefully, he gets to play in the Superbowl).
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: go guins on April 11, 2018, 02:54:24 PM
a class act....I hope he will play well this year (hopefully, he gets to play in the Superbowl).
Not sure I agree on your super bowl point.  For New England to make the SB, they would have to eliminate my Browns!  (yeah, yeah, I know, I know)
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: Double ET on April 11, 2018, 03:43:58 PM
Browns might have a chance for SB if they re-sign Johnny the Man (read that he plans a come back) this year.
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: HappyPenguin on April 11, 2018, 06:14:52 PM
Browns might have a chance for SB if they re-sign Johnny the Man (read that he plans a come back) this year.

Why did you spell #1 Overall Draft Pick in 2019 as "SB"?

 :o
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: Double ET on April 11, 2018, 08:06:06 PM
Browns might have a chance for SB if they re-sign Johnny the Man (read that he plans a come back) this year.

Why did you spell #1 Overall Draft Pick in 2019 as "SB"?

 :o
In case Browns decide to draft Johnny Manzel again as their #1 pick for QB thinking he could take them to the promised land (SuperBowl) this time.
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: go guins on April 12, 2018, 09:28:55 AM
Browns might have a chance for SB if they re-sign Johnny the Man (read that he plans a come back) this year.
They have a great chance at the SB.......IF they get their ticket order in on time!
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: YSU1 on April 12, 2018, 08:18:25 PM
GREAT STORY.  Hope he recovers from his surgery and plays this year.
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: go guins on April 13, 2018, 09:15:14 AM
As I sit in my office waiting for a 12:30 tee time, it occurs to me to ask this question:
Is it reasonable to expect, ask, or even demand the Youngstown Vindicator cover this story with at least as much attention as they did the Ray Issac story or the Malik Richmond story?  Hey Vindy (and Tribune) you have a GREAT story here.  MANY would enjoy reading something about a sports personality that isn't Tristian Thompson screwing a different 'ho while Khloe is in labor.

Hey local media:  Wake up! YSU is a very positive influence and a constructive contributor to the economy & social fabric of the Mahoning Valley.  YOU NEED TO CELEBRATE IT!
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: OleYSUfan on April 13, 2018, 12:33:21 PM
As I sit in my office waiting for a 12:30 tee time, it occurs to me to ask this question:
Is it reasonable to expect, ask, or even demand the Youngstown Vindicator cover this story with at least as much attention as they did the Ray Issac story or the Malik Richmond story?  Hey Vindy (and Tribune) you have a GREAT story here.  MANY would enjoy reading something about a sports personality that isn't Tristian Thompson screwing a different 'ho while Khloe is in labor.

Hey local media:  Wake up! YSU is a very positive influence and a constructive contributor to the economy & social fabric of the Mahoning Valley.  YOU NEED TO CELEBRATE IT!

go guins:

Great reply - bad news items are always placed in the news and newspapers. This is a special good deed done by a respected YSU sports star and no mention in any local newspapers. Why???

I know Derek Rivers is not looking for any attention, but people like to hear about the good done in is world. WAY TOO GO DEREK!!!
 
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: edpuskas on April 13, 2018, 06:28:43 PM
We've reached out to Derek multiple times since he was drafted by the Patriots, most recently during the run-up to the Super Bowl. We have been told the Patriots declined to allow him to talk to us because he was injured and not on the active roster.
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: OleYSUfan on April 14, 2018, 12:23:41 PM
We've reached out to Derek multiple times since he was drafted by the Patriots, most recently during the run-up to the Super Bowl. We have been told the Patriots declined to allow him to talk to us because he was injured and not on the active roster.

Ed: thanks for the explanation on Derek. The article on Derek showed his gracious and caring way to help a person he didn't even know.
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: edpuskas on April 14, 2018, 04:01:36 PM
We've reached out to Derek multiple times since he was drafted by the Patriots, most recently during the run-up to the Super Bowl. We have been told the Patriots declined to allow him to talk to us because he was injured and not on the active roster.

Ed: thanks for the explanation on Derek. The article on Derek showed his gracious and caring way to help a person he didn't even know.

You're welcome. We'll keep trying, because Derek seems like a terrific guy who deserves some press.

Hopefully the situation will have changed now that we're approaching the 2018 season. But the Patriots do not always make for easy access. Another example is when we tried several times to do stories on Frank Ross when he was on their staff. Permission was finally granted pre-Super Bowl this year.

Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: YSUGO on April 15, 2018, 11:31:50 AM
Can you try his agent?
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: edpuskas on April 15, 2018, 01:36:36 PM
Team policy is team policy. And I'm sure being first-year players, guys like Derek don't want to rock the boat. Understand that completely. If the team (read: Bill Belichick) says no interviews, then no interviews.

You'd be surprised at how some of the teams' policies go. When the Packers played in Pittsburgh last season, we wanted to do a story on one of their assistant coaches who is from the Valley. Their media-relations people wouldn't let us near the guy after the game. Their policy is that assistant coaches don't talk to the media, even if we're just trying to do a "local guy makes good" story.

Like I said before, it's a new season and the hope is we'll be able to get an interview with Derek. He's always been up front with us both at YSU and in letting us know what the Patriots' policies are.
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: go guins on April 16, 2018, 09:24:37 AM
We've reached out to Derek multiple times since he was drafted by the Patriots, most recently during the run-up to the Super Bowl. We have been told the Patriots declined to allow him to talk to us because he was injured and not on the active roster.
Ed, you always have an excuse to cover the Vindicator editorial staff, and I'm sure they appreciate it.  All I am saying is this:
This story was a good enough story for ESPN to pick up on and publish.
It was good enough story for BleacherReport to pick up on and publish. 
It was not good enough story for the Vindicator to pick up on and publish. 

Derek didn't provide additional comment for either ESPN or Bleacher Report or about a dozen other places I've seen this story.  You can make all the excuses you want, but the anti-YSU bias of the Vindicator remains obvious to at least me.
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: Double ET on April 18, 2018, 10:33:29 AM
April 18, 2018 at 12:10a.m.

 
Random acts of kindness are the norm for former YSU defensive end Derek Rivers

By Brian Dzenis

bdzenis@vindy.com

It could be a the gift of a free meal one day. It could be a conversation with someone who is struggling or providing someone a Lyft another time.

On any given day, former Youngstown State defensive end Derek Rivers performs some random act of kindness. The majority of them go unnoticed by the public at large. His explanation for why he does these things is simple.

“It’s all God,” Rivers said.

Heading into his second season in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Rivers’ penchant for generosity emerged under the spotlight of the league. A story came out during the team’s training camp last August that the then-rookie had bought a meal for a homeless man. Last week, ESPN reported that Rivers paid a Lyft driver — and tipped generously — to drive another homeless man from Foxborough, Mass. to Fall River, which is an hour away.

“You show the mercy that God shows every day. It’s what drives you every day,” Rivers said. “You might see somebody walking on the street that looks like they’re struggling or you see somebody begging for money and we’ve all done it before — we’ve driven past them. Something in my heart tells me, ‘Go back, go back.’ It’s all God.”

Rivers’ deed-doing goes back years. He picked it up from his mother and father. He did similar things while at YSU in addition to the community service activities done by the team or the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. If anyone knew about it, it was probably because they chipped in to help out. Occasionally, a roommate or his wife, Lauren — who was his girlfriend at the time — worked alongside him, Rivers said. Besides that, he kept what he did to himself. Sometimes, word would reach Penguins coach Bo Pelini.

“That’s the kind of guy he is. That’s the heart he has. I hate to say this but sometimes guys do stuff like that because it’s expected of them,” Pelini said. “Derek is the kind of guy who would do something without anyone knowing, but sometimes you would hear, ‘Hey, Derek did this,’ and I would think it’s pretty cool. It wasn’t publicized. He did it because that’s who he is.”

For the escapade with Lyft. Rivers said he couldn’t recall when exactly it happened, but it was around the time the Patriots were playing the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl in February. He was leaving the team’s practice facility in Foxborough for the day when he spotted the man holding a cardboard sign.


 
“Normally, you don’t see a lot of homeless folks by the side of the road in Foxborough. It’s a college town. You don’t even see that in the city of Boston,” Rivers said. “Something was making me come back. I turned around and pulled up alongside him.”

The man was asking for a ride to Fall River. He had come out of rehab and was homeless while dealing with alcoholism. Rivers took the man to his apartment where he could wait while Rivers arranged a ride via the app, Lyft.

“We were chilling outside talking about scripture and he knew so many,” Rivers said. “That’s what helped him get through rehab and being addicted to alcohol.”

When the driver, identified by ESPN as Mary Vilorio, arrived at the apartment building, Rivers explained that he was paying for the man’s ride and that he wasn’t going. He made sure Vilorio was OK with the arrangement before the man entered her car. He learned she too was having her own issues. Vilorio was out of work and living in a friend’s basement. She later called Rivers from the road to report that she and her passenger were getting along and talking scripture on the trip.

“She said, ‘I’m very grateful for what you’ve done,’ and I just said, ‘It’s all God. That’s how God works,’ ” Rivers said. “It was her biggest ride of the day and it was going to give her a boost.”

After Lyft got its fee, Vilorio took home $84.51, including a $35 tip, per ESPN. Rivers never revealed that he played for the Patriots until the man asked him what he did for a living. A third-round pick in last year’s draft, Rivers sat out the season with a torn ACL, but he said he’s “feeling good” and he’s ready for preseason work.

Rivers plans to continue helping out where he can whether anyone knows it or not.

“I don’t think you need to have a lot of money to just help somebody out. Sometimes I think you can have a conversation with somebody like saying, ‘Hello, how are you doing?’ You can buy somebody a $10 meal,” Rivers said. “You do what God calls you to do and I help out my brothers and sisters.

“It’s not a thing with the NFL or my job, it’s what God would want me to do.”
Title: Re: YSU's Derek Rivers
Post by: go guins on April 18, 2018, 11:31:52 AM
April 18, 2018 at 12:10a.m.

 
Random acts of kindness are the norm for former YSU defensive end Derek Rivers

By Brian Dzenis

bdzenis@vindy.com

It could be a the gift of a free meal one day. It could be a conversation with someone who is struggling or providing someone a Lyft another time.

On any given day, former Youngstown State defensive end Derek Rivers performs some random act of kindness. The majority of them go unnoticed by the public at large. His explanation for why he does these things is simple.

“It’s all God,” Rivers said.

Heading into his second season in the NFL with the New England Patriots, Rivers’ penchant for generosity emerged under the spotlight of the league. A story came out during the team’s training camp last August that the then-rookie had bought a meal for a homeless man. Last week, ESPN reported that Rivers paid a Lyft driver — and tipped generously — to drive another homeless man from Foxborough, Mass. to Fall River, which is an hour away.

“You show the mercy that God shows every day. It’s what drives you every day,” Rivers said. “You might see somebody walking on the street that looks like they’re struggling or you see somebody begging for money and we’ve all done it before — we’ve driven past them. Something in my heart tells me, ‘Go back, go back.’ It’s all God.”

Rivers’ deed-doing goes back years. He picked it up from his mother and father. He did similar things while at YSU in addition to the community service activities done by the team or the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. If anyone knew about it, it was probably because they chipped in to help out. Occasionally, a roommate or his wife, Lauren — who was his girlfriend at the time — worked alongside him, Rivers said. Besides that, he kept what he did to himself. Sometimes, word would reach Penguins coach Bo Pelini.

“That’s the kind of guy he is. That’s the heart he has. I hate to say this but sometimes guys do stuff like that because it’s expected of them,” Pelini said. “Derek is the kind of guy who would do something without anyone knowing, but sometimes you would hear, ‘Hey, Derek did this,’ and I would think it’s pretty cool. It wasn’t publicized. He did it because that’s who he is.”

For the escapade with Lyft. Rivers said he couldn’t recall when exactly it happened, but it was around the time the Patriots were playing the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl in February. He was leaving the team’s practice facility in Foxborough for the day when he spotted the man holding a cardboard sign.


 
“Normally, you don’t see a lot of homeless folks by the side of the road in Foxborough. It’s a college town. You don’t even see that in the city of Boston,” Rivers said. “Something was making me come back. I turned around and pulled up alongside him.”

The man was asking for a ride to Fall River. He had come out of rehab and was homeless while dealing with alcoholism. Rivers took the man to his apartment where he could wait while Rivers arranged a ride via the app, Lyft.

“We were chilling outside talking about scripture and he knew so many,” Rivers said. “That’s what helped him get through rehab and being addicted to alcohol.”

When the driver, identified by ESPN as Mary Vilorio, arrived at the apartment building, Rivers explained that he was paying for the man’s ride and that he wasn’t going. He made sure Vilorio was OK with the arrangement before the man entered her car. He learned she too was having her own issues. Vilorio was out of work and living in a friend’s basement. She later called Rivers from the road to report that she and her passenger were getting along and talking scripture on the trip.

“She said, ‘I’m very grateful for what you’ve done,’ and I just said, ‘It’s all God. That’s how God works,’ ” Rivers said. “It was her biggest ride of the day and it was going to give her a boost.”

After Lyft got its fee, Vilorio took home $84.51, including a $35 tip, per ESPN. Rivers never revealed that he played for the Patriots until the man asked him what he did for a living. A third-round pick in last year’s draft, Rivers sat out the season with a torn ACL, but he said he’s “feeling good” and he’s ready for preseason work.

Rivers plans to continue helping out where he can whether anyone knows it or not.

“I don’t think you need to have a lot of money to just help somebody out. Sometimes I think you can have a conversation with somebody like saying, ‘Hello, how are you doing?’ You can buy somebody a $10 meal,” Rivers said. “You do what God calls you to do and I help out my brothers and sisters.

“It’s not a thing with the NFL or my job, it’s what God would want me to do.”
Thank you Vindicator.  That wasn't so hard, was it?