Two young Black athletes, rendered in anime style, shake hands in the center frame. The athlete on the left has long, dark dreadlocks and wears a navy athletic shirt labeled “UIC”; the athlete on the right has short, cropped hair and wears a dark blue football-style jersey with a stylized number 4. Both smile warmly and make eye contact as their right hands meet; cinematic rim lighting and soft cel-shading emphasize their faces and musculature. The background features a foggy waterfront city skyline and stadium lights, blending cool blue tones with warm gold highlights; a small, plain-text artist credit appears in the corner.
Source: AI-generated illustration by Copilot, created from user-supplied photos of Timotheus “T.J.” Gordon, Jr. and Jeremiyah Love.
Timotheus “T.J.” Gordon, Jr.
Chicago, IL
https://linktr.ee/timotheusgordonjr
timotheus.tj.gordonjr@gmail.com
December 26, 2025
Greetings, Mr. Love,
I hope your day is going well. My name is T.J. Gordon, and I am an autistic researcher-advocate based in Chicago, IL, as well as the creator of the blog on Blackness and neurodivergence, the Black Autist.
First and foremost, I congratulate you on winning the Doak Walker Award and being a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. You deserved all the accolades, as you excelled this season for Notre Dame, and you gave us highlight reel after highlight reel! I consider you the first neurodivergent Heisman finalist and Doak Walker Award winner. I pray that you will continue to excel in pro football and in all future endeavors you choose.
But there’s a deeper reason why I am writing this open letter to you.
I have read and watched your backstory on ESPN College Gameday in September, and I am touched by it. For starters, you mentioned how you and your parents inform your coaches on how to connect with you and support you, while letting you be you on and off the field. Additionally, I observed how you utilize athletics and strengths from your world (as I would like to call it) to shape your approach to navigating the world, which is in your own terms.
You see, I am neurodivergent myself (autistic to be exact), and I was once a student-athlete who tried my hand at walking on a college football team. I played defensive lineman in high school. I love sports, including American football, and I also benefited from coaches who supported my growth and ambitions as an athlete, while they understood that I was different than the other players. Even as I transitioned to more of the recreational and societal aspects of sports & a career in advocacy and research, I continue to seek supports that helps me excel in any endeavor while I maintain my quirkiness, in which my quirkiness, career aspirations, and life philosophies are intertwined into my core being.
Thank goodness for sports, because they are the ultimate equalizer, where anyone can be a hero at any given time, and it can be the nerdy, weird, or silly person. Take a look at athletes like Dennis Rodman, Bill Lee, John Randle, and more. They have their unique, colorful personalities, but they have also made significant contributions to their respective sports.
I can now tell my son, my goddaughter, and any kid I come across that if they identify with any quirks or neurodivergence, they can be themselves in this world, find their tribes, and succeed in anything they set their minds to, whether it’s in sports, politics, entertainment, military, trades, etc. I will show examples of such success stories as yours, Mr. Love. Living a neurodivergent dream life requires self-confidence, resources, and supportive communities.
By all means, you have the right not to label your identity or how you navigate this neurotypical world. You don’t need a doctor’s diagnosis to connect with our neurodivergent community. I will personally respect how you wish to identify yourself. Nevertheless, do not stop being yourself and ask for support that will enable you to be yourself in YOUR world. You are an example of how we, as neurodivergents, can excel with and without support BECAUSE of our traits and personalities, not in spite of them. Continue to be yourself as you prepare for the pros, and trust me, more neurodivergent folks will follow.
I would love to have you on my podcast, where we can discuss football, anime, and being our authentic selves in a “normal world,” as well as the support we seek to achieve that. Consider this us chopping it up as neurodivergent and Blerd athletes (I’m more of the former athlete, but still). If you’re interested, please reach out to me at timotheus.tj.gordonjr@gmail.com. In the meantime, to get a sense of the topics I cover and discuss through my writing and content creation, visit http://linktr.ee/timotheusgordonjr and http://linktr.ee/blackautist.
Thank you for encouraging neurodivergents, autistics, and “outcasts” like myself to seek our paths, excel, and seek the support to live out our lives and enjoy ourselves AS ourselves.
Godspeed,
Timotheus “T.J.” Gordon, Jr.
Creator of the Black Autist
Autistic Reseacher-Advocate at the University of Illinois Chicago
P.S.: GO IRISH.