A mother's deft touch helps UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson navigate the haters
Melva Thompson-Robinson doesn't wear her son's jersey at games. Even as the No. 1 fan of No. 1, she doesn't openly identify herself as any relation to one of the top quarterbacks on the West Coast.
It has nothing to do with not being proud or not wanting to support her son. It's just that no matter how well Dorian Thompson-Robinson plays for UCLA, no matter how many touchdown passes he throws or defenders he leaves behind on a squirrely run, Melva knows the criticism is going to spew into the air like toxic fumes.
"For every good thing, there's probably at least one or two bad things that somebody's going to say," Melva said, "and I just don't want to hear it."
She sits among friends and family at the Rose Bowl, everyone nearby supportive, helping to insulate her from the insults that would make her cringe.
The cauldron of negativity has
