Why NC State football players’ friendship with this superfan is ‘bigger than football’

Grayson Ketchie sat on his knees in his Garner home, wearing football-themed pajamas as bedtime neared. Excitement enveloped the 12-year-old as he looked out the screen door and saw a parade of N.C. State football players walking his way.

Wolfpack players Kevin “KC” Concepcion, Brayden Narveson, Brennan Armstrong, Dylan McMahon, Dawson Jaramillo, Payton Wilson, Trent Pennix and MJ Morris filed through the Ketchies’ door on Oct. 18. They sat down on the floor with Grayson.

They played catch, let him wear their hats, and gave him piggyback rides. Laughter filled the air.

Then, all eight players followed Grayson to his bedroom. They wished him goodnight. He returned the favor with hugs and smiles.

“A lot of people come and watch our games on Saturdays. They come to our house, if you will,” Jaramillo, a Wolfpack offensive lineman, said. “It was cool that we could have an opportunity to hang out in his environment, go to him and spend time with him and his family.”

Dianne and Tim Ketchie adopted a “medically fragile” Grayson shortly after his birth. He spent three weeks in the neonatal intensive care unit after delivery. He needed a tracheostomy — a surgically created hole in his neck that allows him to breathe through a tube — before his second birthday. He’s non-verbal, lives with cerebral palsy and epilepsy, and battles several other health concerns.

Grayson alternates between palliative and hospice care, his mother said. He no longer undergoes surgeries or gets poked by needles. They’ve seen all the specialists, exhausted available treatments. Now, Grayson can be a child, and embrace the unfiltered happiness that comes with it.

“My hope is always that everybody who comes in contact with Grayson carries a little bit of him around with them,” Dianne said through tears. “And, should a time come when Grayson’s not here with us anymore, the thought is that his joy would continue to live on.”

Grayson Ketchie’s unexpected best friend

A photo of Grayson and Ms. Wuf sits on a small shelf inside the Ketchie home, just to the left of the front door. The two are on a park bench, holding up their arms and making a wolf with their fingers. There’s also Ms. Wuf vinyl decal on his bedroom door.

Grayson met N.C. State’s furry mascot at a women’s basketball game when Grayson was 3. He was fussy, so Dianne took him into the hallway for a moment of respite. That’s where they met Ms. Wuf, who later joined the family at their seats, starting what would be a meaningful, albeit unlikely relationship.

“It was an instant friendship. I really think it’s because there is no pressure to talk, because she doesn’t talk,” Dianne said. “He just fell in love with her, and over the years the young ladies (who play Ms. Wuf) have become part of our family.”

Despite Grayson’s limited communication, he signed “more” at the end of that first basketball game. His parents went down the list of possible things he could want. He answered affirmatively when they mentioned Ms. Wuf.

Dianne contacted Ms. Wuf’s team on social media. She’s since spent time with Grayson at games, made hospital visits and come to their home.

Ms. Wuf is an integral part of his life, supporting him on the bad days and celebrating with him on the good. She helped celebrate his adoption day anniversary this summer, attended his birthday party in the spring, and remembers their “friendiversary.”

Grayson took wobbly first steps in 2020, arms out for balance. He walked into the arms of Gus Camille, the former Ms. Wuf he’d met a decade ago.

It’s an unexpected love story: pure, unconditional affection.

“Did I envision that my child was going to pick a mascot to be his best friend? No, never,” Dianne said with a laugh. “It is what it is.”

Part of the Pack

The wall by Grayson’s bed could be defined as the most wholesome N.C. State collage. It features photos of the 12-year-old with athletes, stickers — and a big Ms. Wuf decal, of course. He always says goodnight to them.

Grayson’s friendship with the football team is relatively new. Dianne said she’s been an N.C. State fan all of her life — she put an N.C. State beanie on his 3-week-old head — but the family doesn’t have tickets. Instead, it typically takes Grayson to the pregame Walk of Champions and tailgates with friends.

Savage Wolves NIL Co-Owner Tom Livolsi learned about Grayson’s friendship with Ms. Wuf about three years ago. At the time, he wasn’t involved with the program, and NCAA rules significantly limited what athletes could do without risking their eligibility. Still, he followed their story.

As NIL rules have more recently relaxed, Livolsi and the Wolfpack have enhanced Grayson’s N.C. State experiences.

The Ketchies received a tour of the Murphy Center last month. Grayson sat at head coach Dave Doeren’s desk, played on the field at Carter-Finley Stadium, and got an impromptu meet-and-greet with the players and staff as they came out of practice. Every player acknowledged Grayson in some way, with many giving him hugs. Even when he put his head down in excitement, they waited to make eye contact with him.

Two weeks ago, Livolsi pushed Grayson’s wheelchair onto the field, allowing him to join the pregame activities. Fans yelled, “Hey, Grayson!” from the stands as the 12-year-old smiled as big as he could and tried to touch everyone, and Wilson hosted him in the locker room post game.

Everyone got down on eye level and communicated with him — not at him. Dianne said people often see children in a wheelchair and feel pity. The health struggles overshadow the person. But not with N.C. State.

“It just means so much for somebody to see your child for who they are, not their disability or anything else, just embracing him for who he is,” she said.

‘It’s a win-win’

Grayson sat on defensive lineman Noah Potter’s lap at a Savage Wolves event recently, clapping with joy. He was decked out in his N.C. State jersey, sunglasses and Potter’s hat, which he took off the player’s head. The graduate student placed Grayson’s too-small ball cap on his own.

Name, image and likeness rules may conjure images of student-athletes getting paid to attend certain schools, create sponsored posts on social media or participate in commercials.

But the relaxed NIL rules have also provided players opportunities to connect with fans, receive mentorship and perform charity work. Previous rules limited what could be done without risking a player’s eligibility, so they erred on the side of caution, Narveson said.

“It’s bigger than football,” the kicker said. “At the end of the day, football gives us a platform to be able to impact people’s lives in a positive way.”

Jaramillo called it a positive externality, which is when a third party — often society — benefits from an individual situation.

Players within the Wolfpack NIL collectives do receive payment, but they’re required to fulfill certain obligations. Community work is one of them. Wilson said Livolsi deserves a lot of credit for seeking ways to utilize this new aspect of college athletics for outreach. Savage Wolves works with players on life skills, as well.

“Before NIL, unless you worked on the team or in the facilities, you really didn’t have access to the players, which was pretty messed up,” Livolsi said. “What we’re trying to do is set them up for life after football and build a network for them that they can fall back on one day when sports are over.”

The team’s relationship with the Ketchies provides one positive outcome of the changing NIL landscape.

“I’m glad that we’re taking advantage of it,” Jaramillo said. “We are helping student athletes, and we’re helping the community at the same time. It’s a win-win.”

‘There are the athletes I want to cheer for’

Everyone smiled when the eight N.C. State players packed into the Ketchie home. No one would’ve ever known the team was coming off a disappointing loss. For 30 minutes, football didn’t matter.

That’s what being around Grayson can do.

The Ketchies understand wins and losses are important, and no one likes to lose. But they also appreciate N.C. State using football as a conduit to impact lives beyond a game, to care about “the Graysons of the world.”

It’s part of the program’s DNA, Jaramillo said. Players are expected to impact the community positively, and they’re excited for the opportunities. They responded within five minutes to Livolsi’s text, asking if they wanted to visit Grayson during the bye week.

“These are the athletes that I want to cheer for, I want to support, and I want to be successful,” Dianne Ketchie said. “They are genuinely good human beings. Fifteen years from now, nobody’s gonna remember if we won or lost a football game. They’re gonna remember the impact that these people had on their lives.”

The length of Grayson’s life looms large in the back of Dianne’s mind. No day is guaranteed for anyone, but that’s especially true for the Ketchies. A cold, the flu or pneumonia could be the one thing he can’t overcome, so everything they do is for Grayson. They balance risk and reward, seek the best life possible, and always hope for one more day.

“It is the greatest honor of my life, and the hardest thing,” Dianne said. “To watch your kid have to go through all of the days in the hospital, all of the surgeries, and all of the tests and all of the days just not feeling well: It’s hard as a mom.

“Moms are supposed to be able to make things better. I can’t fix these things for him, but I will always be there to remind him that he’s brave, he’s strong and sometimes life just isn’t fair, but also that life isn’t all medical stuff, either. It’s important to have fun…His quality of life is far more important than the quantity of life.”