Through a Craigslist ad, New England Patriots offensive lineman Marcus Cannon found a unique way to thank a military member for his service to his country, according to WFXT-TV.
Cannon had placed a crossbow for sale on the website, which was purchased by Iraq War veteran Robert Rodriguez. Rodriguez sustained head and shoulder injuries in May of 2007 after being hit by an I.E.D. and the injuries forced Rodriguez into medical retirement from the military and limited his physical activities in civilian life. Rodriguez saw the crossbow as something that would let him hunt, one of his favorite hobbies.
Once Cannon learned the buyer's back story, he sent an email that he would give the crossbow to Rodriguez for free. Cannon then personally delivered the item to Rodriguez' home in Taunton, Mass.
"He's a really, really nice guy to go out of his way come from Foxboro to Taunton to deliver it to me," Rodriguez said. "Sometimes people don't understand what goes on over there. It's nice that people acknowledge that: 'Hey, we're behind, we're backing you, and we support everything you do.' And it's nice to have something like that."
Cannon knows a thing or two about adversity.
Diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma prior to the 2011 NFL Draft, Cannon slid to the fifth round before he was selected by the Patriots. Cannon underwent treatment last summer and opened the season on the "Non-Football Injury" list before making his NFL debut on Nov. 21. Cannon would appear in a reserve role for the final seven games of the regular season, as well as the Patriots' three playoff games, including Super Bowl XLVI. Cannon was the Patriots' 2011 Ed Block Courage Award recipient.
