Broncos Cody Latimer Strikes A Pose For 8-Year-Old Pal
By Mark Haas
DENVER (CBS4) - Cody Latimer waited a season-and-a-half for his first career touchdown, but when he found the end zone last weekend against the Bears, he knew exactly how he wanted to celebrate.
"We did the pose," said 8-year-old Carson Cline, mimicking the arms-crossed pose he did with Latimer a few days before the game. "And (Cody) said that would be his new touchdown pose."
"Guess what happened at the game?" Carson proudly asked CBS4's Mark Haas this week. "He made the TD and he actually did that (pose) at the game."
Cline has cerebral palsy, and recently had a selective spinal surgery that will eventually give him better mobility, but right now he has to spend six weeks at Children's Hospital Colorado recovering and learning how to walk again.
Carson's mom Jennifer says Carson just recently started acknowledging that he has cerebral palsy, but that it hasn't changed his outlook on what he wants to do.
"He doesn't think he's incapable of anything," Cline said. "He wants to play tackle football. I am like, we are not doing that bud, you have a tube in your head."
Carson is a big Broncos fan, and got to meet Latimer last week.
"I didn't even know that Cody Latimer was coming until he came that day," Carson said.
"He loves sports and he has learned players' names and numbers, so when they said Cody Latimer is here, Carson said 'Oh, No. 14,'" Jennifer Cline said.
Carson was wearing a Demaryius Thomas jersey (his favorite player), so Latimer FaceTimed Thomas so Carson could talk to him, too. And then Latimer stayed with Carson for 30 minutes, with the two signing autographs for each other, trying on sunglasses and taking pictures.
Every time they posed, Carson would cross his arms, so Cody did it too, and promised Carson if he scored a TD he would do it in the game.
"I just wanted to make his day," Latimer said. "Seeing him in the hospital, being as strong as he is, I told him I'd do it. And I got it done."
Carson was watching, and, according to his mom, now has a new favorite player (Sorry DT).
And when Carson does his physical therapy, he likes to do the pose, and even makes his mom take videos to send to Latimer.
"All he talks about is Cody Latimer now," Jennifer said, and while Carson might not realize just how special it was for everything to unfold like it did, his mom does.
"For Carson it was 'Oh my gosh, Cody got a touchdown,'" Jennifer said. "But for the rest us, we are like 'That was his first career touchdown and he did that for Carson.' That's a really big deal."
Mark Haas is CBS4's weekend sports anchor and sports reporter. Read his bio or follow him on Twitter @markhaastv or on Facebook.
