In a touching moment proving not only the goodness of two humans but also the intrinsic value of all lives, one Australian football captain went viral on social media after winning the league championship Saturday.
But it wasn’t just the victory that had everyone cheering.
In the moving video, Geelong Cats captain Joel Selwood, who had just led his team to an 81-point victory over the Sydney Swans to win the AFL Grand Final, trotted over to the sidelines to hug 29-year-old Sam Moorfoot, the team’s water boy who also happens to have Down syndrome.
With the help of teammate Jeremy Cameron, Selwood pulled Moorfoot across the wall to celebrate the team’s victory, hugging him tightly as the crowd went nuts. Within moments, Cameron had strung his own medal around Moorfoot's neck as the young man beamed.
In Australia, this football team just won the league championship.
— Goodable (@Goodable) September 25, 2022
Their captain went into the stands to get their waterboy, who has Down's Syndrome, so they could celebrate together.#Humanity 🌏 🇦🇺pic.twitter.com/beQuezPNan
“Joel said he wanted to get me on the ground,” Moorfoot said later. “That was the moment of the life, what an honor.”
Moorfoot, a lifelong fan of the Geelong Cats, has been the team’s water boy for seven years, and has become a popular and integral member of the team.
In the United States, studies have shown that about 90 percent of women whose unborn babies are prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome elect to abort their child. But Moorfoot’s story shows that not only is every one of these lives inherently valuable, those with supposed “disabilities” often end up being the most cherished and beloved members of society, irreplaceable to those who love them – and who simply give them a chance.