DeAngelo Williams gives up business class seat for man in military uniform

DeAngelo Williams did a good thing right after the Fourth of July.

The Carolina Panthers running back saw a man who appeared to be a Marine boarding his plane and decided to give up his business class seat to him. Williams posted a photo on his Facebook page as well as on Twitter.

Now, here's the interesting thing about this: Several people responded to Williams' posts indicating that the man in question might not be a real Marine, with several uniform discrepancies — including wearing his cover indoors — as tipoffs.

If true (and we have no concrete proof that it is) it's too bad.

But that doesn't negate the gesture Williams made. It was a pro move. I first heard of this years ago, right after 9/11, when a friend in the industry was on a plane with Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter, who was sitting in first class with his brother. As soon as a military man boarded the plane, Carter told his brother: "Get up."

It was a class move then, and Williams' move — whether or not the man was actual military or not — was made with the best intentions. Good stuff.

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Eric_Edholm