By India McCarty
HGTV’s Ben Napier might be disappointed he didn’t make it to the Final Four to see Duke play, but a sweet note from the college (or was it really his daughter?) is easing the sting.
“Pretty special moment,” Napier captioned an Instagram video. “Thanks for the mail @dukembb. We will get em next time!”
In the video, he explained, “So this weekend didn’t go the way I had hoped, from top to bottom, when it comes to basketball,” sharing his plans to see Duke play with his brothers and dad.
“Then, our travel got messed up, we couldn’t go, so we had to give our tickets away,” Ben Napier continued. “But Duke University found out and they sent me — on official letterhead — a letter saying some really great things.”
He showed the handwritten letter to the camera and read its contents — ”Dear Ben, I know things have not gone your way today. Love, Duke.”
“It came in the mail on Saturday so I can’t help but think that if I had been in the game…things would have ended differently,” he concluded. “But thanks Duke, I’ll cherish this forever. It’s really special.”
Napier’s wife Erin commented on the post, giving a hint to where the letter might really have come from: “Helen [the couple’s eldest daughter] definitely did NOT write that note.”
Napier responded, writing that he “could see her behind the camera smiling. She’s so proud that @dukeuniversity sent me that letter.”
It looks like Helen, 6, is taking up her dad’s tradition of writing letters to his loved ones. Ben and Erin have spoken about his practice of writing notes to Erin every day.
Related: Duke Basketball Star Leads Team to Final Four: ‘In Jesus Name!’
“They don’t say anything profound,” she told Us Weekly. “Things like, ‘I’m so thankful that it’s you and me, and that this is what our life is,’ or, ‘Thank you for being mine, and I’ll always do my best for you every day.’”
In a 2022 post, Ben shared that Helen wanted to start receiving letters of her own, writing, “Helen saw Mama’s note and asked me why I didn’t write her one?? I guess I’ll be writing 2 every morning until Mae is old enough to want one, and then it’ll be 3. #girldad”
In another 2022 Instagram post, Erin shared a note Ben and Helen worked on for her together.
“Helen got a hold of @scotsman.co’s notebook and today’s letter made me lol,” she captioned the post, which shows Ben’s note, decorated with drawings from Helen.
It looks like Ben’s habit of writing his family daily notes has rubbed off on his daughter. Now he’s getting some special letters of his own — even if they are from “Duke.”
Read Next: What Ben and Erin Napier Want to Pass On to Their Daughters
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