Tracy Martin comforted by his son's "Martyr" status

Tracy Martin makes surprise appearance at Rattlers' practice session

Written by
St. Clair Murraine
(Copied from cache version - original story removed - see below for what might be the reason 'why' the story was scrubbed)

As the man in a white T-shirt and shorts was being escorted onto the FAMU practice field, several football players began whispering.
“That’s Trayvon Martin’s father,” one said.
Indeed it was. Tracy Martin made a surprise visit Saturday afternoon just minutes before the Rattlers wrapped up their first practice in pads. He made the stop during a break from playing in a softball tournament.
<snip>
Later on, Martin said appearances such as his unannounced visit help to keep his son’s name alive.
“We are not going to let the verdict define who Trayvon was,” he said. “We know deep down in our hearts who Trayvon was. I’ll never heal from a loss like that but knowing he’s a martyr in communities now helps.” (Bold emphasis mine)

 A different version of this story states Tracy's speech was planned and that the players gave Tracy and standing ovation.

Trayvon Martin's father named honorary captain of FAMU football team - Tracy Martin recently delivered an inspirational speech to the Florida A&M football team

Florida A&M coach Earl Holmes said Tracy Martin, whose son’s shooting death in Sanford drew national attention, called him recently and the coach recently invited the grieving father to address his players.

“[We] talked and I told him I’d love him to talk to the team. He came out and he was very,  very encouraging,” Holmes said of Tracy Martin. “ . . . [He] got a standing ovation from our guys. He talked about just persevering and told the guys to keep on pushing through the hard times. The message he shared with the kids was very positive and they were very responsive.”