Words by Woody
By Woody Daniels
Because of Breno Giacomini's ugly gesture, it's been a long three weeks for one Kentucky youth
Breno Giacomini, now was not the time. Not the time to end all of the respect Kentucky fans have shown your program over the years. Not the time to respond to the inviting chants of “We hope you die” and “Brohm’s mom sucks” by stomping on Big Blue’s welcome mat. Now was not the time to go to your friendly rival’s 70,000-person house and flip the double bird.
In case you’ve been admiring black-and-white still shots of Kentucky’s previous top-10 team and are a bit out of the loop, Louisville offensive lineman Breno Giacomini walked out of the tunnel at Commonwealth Stadium three Saturdays ago holding up two middle fingers. Double the insult on mature, well-spoken Kentucky adults, but worse, double the traumatic effect on innocent Kentucky youths who happened to spot the 290-pounder with the twin towers over his head. And the Japanese thought Hiroshima and Nagasaki was bad.
Two fingers too many: This guy owes Cody an apology.
Sure, the Italian Instigator apologized for the gesture (saying he was sorry people misinterpreted his normal pre-game stretching routine), but Kentucky parents have been left wondering how to explain the insensitive incident to their children.
Take Kentucky fan Brad Knight for example. A hard-working man just trying to make an honest living as an assembly line worker, Knight took his 9-year old son, Cody, to the rivalry game for his birthday. What he saw he and his son will never forget.
“Right as I was yelling ‘F*** you, Louisville!’ he (Giacomini) decides to give us the finger not once, but twice,” recounted Knight, whose weekly ritual with his son includes watching “Family Guy.” “I just thought, ‘Come on now, not in front of the kids.’ I really don’t know what to tell Cody. He just keeps askin’ me questions, but I don’t know what to say. I mean, how do I justify this?”
I don’t know what to tell Knight either. He said his son’s been sick for weeks and can’t sleep. He’s sought therapy. School? Cody’s not even close to going back, and his therapists say his comprehension level has been set back years. The kid couldn’t spell “BCS bowl game” if his Final Four-less life depended on it. Knight doesn’t know where Cody can seek consolation.
“First it was Britney Spears dancin’, and now it’s Breno Giacomini givin’ respectable Kentucky fans like myself the finger,” said Knight. “Can’t a kid watch the MTV Music Video Awards and go to a Kentucky football game without havin’ to ask mom or dad for an explanation?”
Giacomini owes all Kentucky youths an explanation. Breno, now is the time.
Woody Daniels is a self-proclaimed award-winning writer who enjoys woodworking. He can be reached at woody@thespottedbass.com.
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