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| 3 | 4 | | |
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| 4 | 5 | | R E S O L U T I O N |
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| 5 | 6 | | WHEREAS, Connor Williams of the Dallas Cowboys is raising |
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| 6 | 7 | | awareness of the often severe consequences of bullying among |
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| 7 | 8 | | school-age children, and his efforts are indeed deserving of |
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| 8 | 9 | | recognition; and |
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| 9 | 10 | | WHEREAS, Joining his NFL peers as part of the league's My |
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| 10 | 11 | | Cause, My Cleats campaign, Mr. Williams is helping to promote the |
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| 11 | 12 | | stopbullying.gov website managed by the U.S. Department of Health |
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| 12 | 13 | | and Human Services; the website's mission is to educate the public |
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| 13 | 14 | | on how to prevent bullying and cyberbullying, which can adversely |
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| 14 | 15 | | affect children's mental and physical health; further, bullying is |
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| 15 | 16 | | linked to lower academic achievement, and its victims are more |
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| 16 | 17 | | likely to skip classes or drop out of school; and |
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| 17 | 18 | | WHEREAS, Mr. Williams was bullied as a child and presents his |
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| 18 | 19 | | own narrative in reaching out to youth who are experiencing similar |
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| 19 | 20 | | difficulties; struggling with a speech impediment from an early |
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| 20 | 21 | | age, he became the target of bullies who ridiculed him for the way |
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| 21 | 22 | | he spoke; self-conscious about how he was viewed in school and other |
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| 22 | 23 | | public places, he was also humiliated by bullies who made fun of his |
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| 23 | 24 | | size and weight; throughout these emotional ordeals, he drew |
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| 24 | 25 | | strength from his parents, whose unconditional love and support |
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| 25 | 26 | | helped him through his darkest times; in junior high, he started |
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| 26 | 27 | | working out in the garage gym set up by his father; building muscle |
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| 27 | 28 | | and confidence, he embarked on a path that would lead to football |
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| 28 | 29 | | stardom; and |
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| 29 | 30 | | WHEREAS, A native of Coppell, Mr. Williams garnered |
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| 30 | 31 | | all-state recognition as an offensive lineman on the Coppell High |
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| 31 | 32 | | School football team; he continued his football career at The |
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| 32 | 33 | | University of Texas at Austin, becoming only the fourth sophomore |
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| 33 | 34 | | in program history to earn consensus All-American honors; moreover, |
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| 34 | 35 | | he was named an All-Big 12 player for his achievements on the field |
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| 35 | 36 | | and an Academic All-Big 12 selection for his performance in the |
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| 36 | 37 | | classroom; chosen by Dallas in the second round of the 2018 NFL |
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| 37 | 38 | | draft, he enjoyed a promising rookie season, quickly developing |
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| 38 | 39 | | into a starting player on the offensive line; and |
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| 39 | 40 | | WHEREAS, Connor Williams has become an important voice in the |
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| 40 | 41 | | anti-bullying movement, and he is making a positive and lasting |
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| 41 | 42 | | difference in the lives of young people in the Lone Star State and |
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| 42 | 43 | | around the nation; now, therefore, be it |
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| 43 | 44 | | RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas |
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| 44 | 45 | | Legislature hereby commend Connor Williams for raising awareness of |
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| 45 | 46 | | the negative consequences of bullying among children and extend to |
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| 46 | 47 | | him sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further |
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| 47 | 48 | | RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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| 48 | 49 | | prepared for Mr. Williams as an expression of high regard by the |
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| 49 | 50 | | Texas House of Representatives. |
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