There wasn’t a dry eye in the studio Thursday when former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky’s 14-year-old autistic son, Madden, appeared on NFL Live for World Autism Awareness Day.
As with Madden Orlovsky’s first appearance last year, the program showcased his artwork and comic drawings around the studio. As a surprise, DeVonta Smith from the Eagles—Madden’s favorite team—popped up on video to award him a swag bag of Birds gear.
Dan Orlovsky was moved to tears. The heartfelt father-son moment, and the emotional reaction of Orlovsky’s colleagues like Laura Rutledge, generated raves on social media from the likes of Magic Johnson and wrestling legend Ric Flair. As the Nature Boy wrote to Orlovsky on X/Twitter: “The Piece On Your Son Madden That I Just Watched May Be The Most Emotional Thing I Have Ever Seen In My Life. Congratulations & Stay Strong My Man! You Are In A Great Place. Much Respect.”
Front Office Sports interviewed Dan and Madden in the car on their way back home after the show. What follows is a lightly edited transcript.
Front Office Sports: Dan, congrats on a great segment. Take me through your emotions.
Dan Orlovsky: It’s a special thing. He’s a special kid. They really did a nice job, the ESPN people, the people overseeing the show. I’m happy to be a part of it. I’m thankful to be part of it.
FOS: It must be incredible for Madden to see his drawings from home all around the walls of an ESPN TV studio.
DO: Yes. It’s his. I’m a jock, so sports is by far my favorite thing. That made me prideful when I did well in sports. I have kids who play sports. When they do well, it’s such an enjoyable experience to watch them play. For him, this is him being the star quarterback or the star athlete. It’s his. He gets to just own and be true to his love and his passion.
After last year’s episode, my sons had lacrosse practice that night. Madden came with me to drop his brothers off. When we got out of the car, the two or three alpha athletes were like, “Oh my God, Madden, I saw you on TV today.” They were over the moon about it. It made him feel invincible. For a person like him who’s a little quieter and not quote-unquote “popular,” it was this moment that had a transcendent impact on him. He’s been looking forward to today. He’s got a countdown; he crosses the days off the calendar. He loves it.
FOS: How about that gesture by DeVonta Smith and the Eagles?
DO: The Eagles have been unbelievable to him. My wife is a Philly girl; she’s a huge Eagles fan. They’ve been tremendously impactful in the autism space. They him down this past year for an autism event that they had. He drew art for the coloring books they had on display that evening. They’re remarkable with him; they treat him like gold. It’s a testament to the way the organization operates, how good the people are inside of it. I’ve never met DeVonta, but he’s obviously a tremendous human being.
FOS: How has Madden grown since his first TV appearance on NFL Live?
DO: There’s an obvious thing: He’s a little more grown-up. You can tell by the sound of his voice. So that’s the literal element. But we have sensed in our house that he’s more confident, more willing to speak up for himself. He still loves the same stuff. He’s always been a really special kid who had great awareness of who he was. Never ashamed of it really. But maybe if he was, even a little bit, we just don’t feel that anymore with him. He’s much more willing to talk now and be open about things. That’s a big hurdle.
FOS: Sports TV viewers have really responded to these segments with Madden. Why?
DO: My honest answer is this: When people watch people on TV, they want to feel like the people on TV are like them. And we are. Sometimes we all get lost in that. People at home can sense genuine, authentic, I’m like you, you’re like me, I just happen to be sitting at a desk talking about this team. When Madden’s there, it’s a very vulnerable segment. That resonates with people. To see us being human, just like the folks at home.
My takeaway last year was that there’s a lot more people touched by autism than we thought. Whether it’s a cousin, nephew, niece, aunt, uncle, brother, sister, friend, so many people are impacted by it. I think it’s something where people are like, “I get it.” That’s an endearing thing to them. He has autism, but people see somebody who’s like, “This is who I am, I’m not going to pretend to be something that I’m not, I’m not going to run from it, this is my superpower, I’m going to embrace it.” In a small way, people see a little bit of themselves in that.
FOS: Madden, you are a talented young artist. What do you want to be when you grow up?
MO: A YouTuber.
FOS: Where do you want to live and work?
MO: Walt Disney.
DO: He wants to draw for Walt Disney.
