NASHVILLE - First-year Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel easily could have been forgiven if he had bypassed fans and media alike on his way to the team's air-conditioned locker room following Tuesday morning's practice. By workout's end the temperature was approaching 95 and the humidity felt almost as suffocating. A pizza oven might have been more comfortable.
But as Vrabel was leaving the practice field, he spotted 7-year-old Nolan Hendricks and a sporty pair of sunglasses the Soddy-Daisy youngster was wearing.
"Hey, I like those glasses," Vrabel told him before asking, "Do you like mine?"
Told yes, the two momentarily switched eyewear, then switched back, a wide smile now frozen on Hendricks' face.
Then Vrabel asked the question that would be repeated to Nolan time and time again by Titans players and staffers over the next 40 minutes or so: "Did you have fun today?"
Each time he would dutifully nod yes, which is what everyone associated with the state's NFL franchise surely hoped to hear, since Nolan's life has been anything but fun since July 14.
It was on that Saturday that his father Brandon allegedly murdered his mother Joanie as the three of them were traveling in the family car on their way to Nolan's birthday party. Let that percolate in your mind for awhile.
"That's all previously been made public," said Amanda Jones, who has been granted temporary legal custody of her nephew following her sister's death. "Nothing else needs to be said at this time. But I'm just so honored for Nolan to experience this, for the Titans to share their love with him. I'm not really a pro football fan, but I'll definitely be a Titans fan from now on."
Every pro sports franchise does this kind of community outreach work. Perhaps no one does it better than the Titans.
From the moment Nolan and his traveling party of five arrived at the franchise's headquarters just north of downtown Nashville, they were literally given the VIP treatment. They were even escorted from the "VIP" gate to their seats.
From free water and sports drinks chilled just short of freezing, to a shaded spot to watch practice, to private introductions and photo ops with quarterback Marcus Mariota, tight end Ethan Wolf (the former Tennessee Volunteer) and second-year center Corey Levin (the former University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Moc), no detail was overlooked. Footballs and miniature Titans helmets were autographed. Photos were taken. Wolf even handed Nolan his blue practice gloves.
"What's up, buddy?" Mariota greeted him while dropping to one knee in order to make better eye contact with Hendricks. "How you doing? Nice to meet you."
The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner then signed several items and posed for pictures with everyone in the traveling party - including Alan Pressley, who gave Mariota one of his famous shadow boxes as a memento for the QB's appearance at this newspaper's Best of Preps banquet in June.
Later, when he was asked what he'd enjoyed most, Nolan smiled and said, "Meeting all the players. They were really nice."
It's just one day, though it is one very big example of grace, compassion and charity. It won't permanently change much of anything. Ordinary life, or his new normal for ordinary life, begins today for Nolan Hendricks, who is scheduled to enter the first grade.
Then there's the darker side of this, that a little more than a month from now Brandon Hendricks is slated to be arraigned on criminal homicide charges on Sept. 11. In many ways, this awful nightmare is far closer to the beginning than the end.
But at least Tuesday with the Titans offered a momentary escape.
"Just to see a smile on his face," Pressley said. "That's why you do something like this."
As Mariota's brief time with Nolan came to a close, the former Heisman Trophy winner asked him, "Can I get a hug?"
When the youngster obliged, squeezing him tight, Mariota smiled and exclaimed, "All right!"
And for a very brief moment, Nolan's world almost seemed all right. Especially if the sunglasses you were wearing were dark enough to hide the moisture in your eyes.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com