For this week’s Feel-Good Friday, I continue to tell stories of unlikely friendships, although this one is a bit of a tear-jerker.
Alabama has no team in the NFL, which is actually quite nice. What Alabamians feel for their sports teams is all local pride, and they are passionate about supporting their boys and girls on the field and the court, as well as local franchises and businesses that sponsor them. This a reflection of the values the state embodies, rather than the culture or the whims of some mucky-muck like Roger Goodell. I believe this makes Alabama players stand out from the rest, not just because of their prowess on the field of play, but in the way they conduct themselves in their lives.
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University of Alabama Crimson Tide Strong Safety Malachi Moore is a shining example of this. His record is impressive and he has received multiple awards since his freshman start in 2020. He is a team leader who is beloved by his peers, as well as a fan favorite. When the University of Alabama played in the New Year’s 2024 Rose Bowl game, the articulate and well-spoken Moore took on the mantle as the face of the team. This is Moore’s last year with UA, and he could have opted to jump into the NFL Draft, especially after his mentor and Alabama’s head coach Nick Saban retired. Instead, Moore chose to honor his commitment to complete his final year and season with the Tide, electing to learn more under a different coach and help lead the Tide to one last winning season.
“I made a commitment to come back to this university not just because of Coach Saban but everyone around him— from the people in academics to the nutrition staff to the training room and all of my teammates,” Moore said. “I just love being here. It’s a great place, and I wouldn’t want to be nowhere else.”
That takes integrity and a vision of the big picture, as opposed to grasping for instant gratification or insisting on having things the way you want them. This attitude will take Moore far when he does enter the NFL—and with his talent and record, it’s almost a given.
Off the field, Moore has become a budding entrepreneur. He coined a particular phrase while revving up his team’s defense: “If they ain’t wearin’ Crimson, f**ck ’em,” and he decided to put the first part of the phrase on a jersey and Stanley-style mugs to support himself and the Bama team. The products have been selling like hotcakes .
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But Moore has received even more attention of late because of his unique friendship with a young girl named Henrietta. When Moore first met Henrietta, she was a student in his mother’s kindergarten class. Moore was a senior at Hewitt-Trussville High School and a star player for the football team, who had just been recruited by the University of Alabama. So, his mother asked him to talk to her kindergarteners to inspire them about what life could bring.
He met her 6 years ago. Hewitt-Trussville High School senior Malachi Moore had just committed to the Crimson Tide football team. He was speaking to his mother Penny’s kindergarten class at Paine Elementary School. As the future Alabama star scanned the room, it was a 5-year-old girl who couldn’t see who warmed his heart.
Henrietta was legally blind. She was diagnosed at age 3 with Bilateral Optic Atrophy. So, Henrietta could see shadows, but everything else was obscured. Something about the little girl captured Moore, and he kept tabs on little Henrietta. In 2018, as a fresh recruit of the UA Crimson Tide, Moore was invited to stand on the sidelines and watch the team in the Bama-Mississippi State matchup, along with one guest of his choosing. Moore knew exactly who he wanted to invite, and Henrietta was more than thrilled to be his choice.
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She stood on the Bryant-Denny Stadium sidelines on that November day in 2018, and she stood among giants. She could see shadows as ‘Bama slammed the Bulldogs 24-0. She could hear the roars and feel the vibrations. Her heart raced, and when after the game she met Coach Saban. Her friendship with Malachi was strengthened. “Once Malachi took her to that game, Henrietta followed Chi religiously,” Henrietta’s mother, Maria, told me.
Moore remained committed to the little girl, and they maintained their friendship through a new battle Henrietta had to fight: Mitochondrial Disease. This condition attacks directly at the cellular level, causing lack of energy and dysfunction and failure of vital organs: the heart, the kidneys, and even the brain. In early May of 2024, the disease had taken its toll on Henrietta’s tiny, 11-year-old body. Moore rushed to Henrietta’s bedside at the news that her condition had worsened.
The Alabama football star drove from Tuscaloosa to the girl’s house in Trussville. He wanted to remind the 11-year-old who was in at-home hospice that he loved her. He brought her a bouquet of roses and held her tight on May 5, 2024.
The second visit nine days later was at Henrietta’s behest. She knew her time was short.
“Malachi brought Henrietta a football signed by him and Coach Saban,” Ben said. “Malachi and his parents Torrey and Penny were at Henrietta’s bedside. We tried to wake her up so she could feel the football, but my daughter was actively dying.”
It was the day after Malachi Moore gave Henrietta the special football and a loving hug that his friend went to Heaven — May 15, 2024. Four days later, he served as a pall bearer at her funeral.
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Henrietta had specifically requested that Moore be one of her pallbearers, and as a dear friend, Moore fulfilled Henrietta’s final request.
There are some people who capture our hearts and our souls, and we embrace them and take them into our lives, and they welcome us in as well. What a tender and compassionate heart Malachi Moore showed, that he saw beyond Henrietta’s blindness and illness and gave that little girl lasting memories that infused her short life with joy. We know how this special friendship affected Henrietta, but we have no idea how it has shaped Moore. No doubt, he is a different man because of his embrace and commitment to this little girl. Hopefully, Moore will have a long life and career ahead of him, and we will get to see the fruit borne from this special kinship.