Blair Walsh Thanks First-Graders for Kind Letters After Vikings’ Big Loss

— -- Kids may say the darndest things, but after this week, Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh will be the first to tell you that their words of encouragement go a long way.

The Vikings’ football season ended Sunday after Walsh missed a last-minute field goal that would've clinched the game for Minnesota and sent the team to the next round of the NFL playoffs. The missed kick earned Walsh the ire of Vikings fans, but one first-grade teacher saw a learning opportunity.

In an adorable show of empathy, Julie Offerdahl’s class at Northpoint Elementary in Blaine, Minnesota, wrote letters to Walsh to remind him to stay positive amidst the firestorm of hostility being thrown his way on social media.

The letters had some solid advice and the kids showed they were really able to level with the pro athlete. “Everyone makes mistakes sometimes,” wrote one student. “One time I made a mistake when I was doing a cartwheel."

Others opted for positive visual imagery, drawing images like Blair kicking a game-winning field goal at next year's Super Bowl.

Walsh appreciated the letters so much that he visited Offerdahl’s class Thursday to thank the kids in person for their kindness. The kids looked on in awe as Walsh spoke to them and signed autographs for them.