Nowadays, it's hard to find someone who goes out of their way to do something kind for another individual without expecting anything in return. In an era filled with what's been dubbed as the "me, me, me" generation, common acts of kindness are hard to come by.
About a week ago, Sergeant David Marquez was headed home from his reserve training when he suffered a flat tire. Pulled over on the side of Dublin Boulevard, Marquez watched car after car drive by, unwilling to offer their services; however, one car decided to see if he needed some help.
As the SUV pulled up, a figure dressed in Silver and Black apparel from head-to-toe stepped out, and offered to help Marquez. Who was it you ask? Raiders linebacker Tahir Whitehead.
At first, Marquez didn't recognize Whitehead, but after asking who he was and why he offered to help, he was shocked to hear that he was an NFL player.
"He offered to help, and at first I was just being prideful, but he insisted," Marquez said. "[He] said, 'bro, come on, let me help you out. It looks like you could use a hand,'"
Whitehead's persistence and desire to help Marquez caught him by surprise, but the connection the two shared as they changed the tire stood out to him more.
"He helped me out, but our conversation was pretty cool. We just talked about life, and God, and how the NFL is looking to progress with the military, and it was just a good conversation," Marquez explained recently. "While talking to him I realized he was just a real, genuine person. I was impressed. He was well spoken and I told somebody that he should be in a position as an ambassador for service members and vets because he's such an honest and genuine person."
When asked why he stopped to help Marquez, Whitehead kept it simple, and just thought it was the right thing to do.
"He looked like he had it figured out, but I'm just like, he looked like he was on his way somewhere," he said. "I just thought I'd help him out and send him on his way."
He also shared what it's like hearing from a Sergeant in the military that he has the potential to be a spokesman and representative if he has the desire to.
"That's huge, that's humbling," Whitehead said with a pause. "Just for him to use those words, and I believe in just being a good person. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. I saw someone in need."
Willing to help a stranger in need, but unwilling to accept any praise for his good deed, Whitehead is setting an example I think everyone should try and follow.
In the brief time he's been a Raider, the former Temple Owl has quickly become a voice in the locker room, and it's clear his peers respect him on and off the field.
Whitehead isn't the only person to help someone on the side of the road however, if you recall just a couple years ago Raiders quarterback Derek Carr helped someone who ran out of gas on the side of the road.
It's not every day someone offers to help a stranger, let alone an NFL player. Whitehead's act of kindness resonated with Marquez, and while he considers himself a San Francisco 49ers fan, Whitehead may have converted him.
Following their interaction, Marquez continued to express his gratitude, and it's something he most likely will never forget.
"I was moved by him, because he didn't have to do that."
The two were also able to reconnect through Twitter.
