Florida LB Cristian Garcia makes trip to White House for stopping rape
Florida linebacker Cristian Garcia was in Washington D.C. on Tuesday, honored as one of three recipients of the inaugural “It’s On Us” Courage Awards. President Obama created the “It’s On Us” initiative in 2014 to put a stop to sexual assaults on college campuses.
In July, Garcia was working as a security guard at a bar when he went outside behind the building to take out the trash. There, he saw a man assaulting an unconscious woman and confronted him. The two scuffled and the man fled. But Garcia was able to give a description to the police and the assailant, 34-year-old Christopher Shaw, was ultimately apprehended.
Garcia’s heroism was recognized with a reception at the home of vice president Joe Biden. Garcia also got a tour of the Eisenhower Building, the vice president’s ceremonial office and the West Wing of the White House.
“This a great honor and it’s pretty cool to be recognized for a good cause,” Garcia told the school’s website.
However, Garcia said more rewarding than the trip to the White House was his opportunity to meet the victim whom he saved. That encounter happened not long after the incident when investigators brought the two together.
“They just thanked me for what I did and said I gave them a lot of hope,” Garcia said. “They embraced me. It was a good moment.”
For more Florida news, visit InsideTheGators.com.
– – – – – – –
Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
