NewsPositively Montana

Actions

Butte mom grateful for Oredigger quarterback's kindness to son

JET CAMPBELL.jpg
Posted at 5:34 PM, Oct 05, 2022
and last updated 2022-10-06 10:16:17-04

BUTTE — Five-year-old Leyton Jenkin of Butte was having a hard time getting to school but through the compassion of a Montana Tech football player, Leyton's day got much better.

In a post to Facebook, Leyton’s mom praises Montana Tech Quarterback Jet Campbell for taking the time to walk with her son to school when he was initially crying and afraid.

“It just helped my heart, it made me super happy and emotional. I might not have seemed much to him, or it may have, but it meant a lot to me for sure,” said Leyton’s mom Darragh Fitzpatrick.

It was part of Tech’s annual tradition of walking kids to school. Campbell saw that the child was upset and quickly stepped in to make him feel comfortable.

“You know, I could see that he obviously was having a tough time with it, nervous and scared, whatever it may be, shy. I was like that too as a kid and it's kind of nice to have people reach out and kind of talk to you along the way,” said Campbell.

Mom saw her son’s mood turn from fear to joy.

“He just was actually talking to him, he started walking, he wasn’t clinging to me, he didn’t look back or anything he was just having the time of his life,” said Fitzpatrick.

Campbell’s coach was not surprised by his senior quarterback.

“A kid that’s been a great player for us on the field but a great representation for us off the field and not just Jet, all our football players do a great job in the community,” said Oredigger Head Coach Kyle Samson.

“They helped my child, Jet did, and it’s just wonderful, you know, anyone’s that willing to help a child when they’re kind of down and everything it truly makes an impact on them. This is something he won’t forget for the rest of his life,” said Leyton’s mom.

The team invited Leyton to be their guest at halftime during the Oredigger's next home game.