Trayvon’s dad, who ripped him away from the stepmother who was the only person who ever really cared for him and sent him on the downward spiral which ended with him face-down on the grass on his way to having his mug on T-shirts for thugs, gets to be an honorary captain for Florida A&M this fall.

The Florida A&M Rattlers have named Trayvon Martin’s father an honorary captain after a moving speech he gave the team on Sunday, coach Earl Holmes told the Orlando Sentinel.

Tracy Martin will perform the pregame coin toss for FAMU’s season opener against Mississippi Valley State on Sept. 1, as part of the honors, the Orlando newspaper reported.

“[We] talked and I told him I’d love him to talk to the team,” Holmes said. “He came out and he was very, very encouraging. …

“[He] got a standing ovation from our guys. He talked about just persevering and told the guys to keep on pushing through the hard times. The message he shared with the kids was very positive and they were very responsive.”

Holmes said his players were inspired by Martin’s speech.

“He had some inspiring words and the guys played off of that,” Holmes said, according to the Sentinel. “And we’re going to keep pushing for him and his foundation. He’ll be an honorary captain for us this year and he’s welcome anytime.”

The elder Martin has started a charitable foundation. Which might actually do charitable things. And perhaps he did give an uplifting speech to the team.

But that’s great PR, right? Keep that fire burning. Particularly at a school where they haze the drum major to death.

Hey, here’s an idea – how about honorary tri-captains later in the season? These kids look athletic…