There is another chapter to the Troy Tulowitzki saga that Brian Griese wants you to know about.

Tulo, now wearing Blue Jays colors, returned to Colorado this week for the first time since being traded last July. The former Rockies star shortstop received a warm standing ovation on Monday, hit a home run on Tuesday night and finished the three-game series 2-for-13 with two RBIs.

All in all, it was a fairly uneventful return.

Except that it wasn’t.

I received word that Griese, the former Broncos quarterback and current college football analyst for ESPN, wanted to talk about Tulo. Why, I wondered, would Griese want to talk to me about Tulo? Related Articles Saunders: Trevor Story has emerged as Rockies’ voice, in and out of the clubhouse

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“I know there’s been a lot written and said about him this week, but there is something else I think people should know,” Griese told me. “I met with Tulo during the series, and without prompting, he wrote me a $50,000 check to Judi’s House.”

“I don’t think people see that side of Tulo very often, and I thought it would be good for fans to know.”

Judi’s House, for those who are unaware, is Griese’s passion. It’s a comfort house and counseling center for children who have a lost a parent.

A bit of history from the Judi’s House website:

“When former NFL quarterback Brian Griese was seven years old, his mother Judi was diagnosed with breast cancer. After she died five years later, Brian found himself at a dangerous time in which his anger and profound sadness were coming out in ways that had the potential to be destructive.”

“Along Brian’s path to healing, he realized that he wanted to give back to children and teens who were also grieving the loss of a parent, sibling or other loved one. He and his wife Brook, a clinical psychologist specializing in childhood trauma and loss, created Judi’s House — a safe, comfortable place where children and families could come to receive compassionate support and connection with peers.”

Since 2002, Judi’s House has supported nearly 8,000 youth, ages 3-25, and their caregivers.

In January 2003, my sister-in-law, Pam Saunders, died at age 44 after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. My two young nephews, Ryan and Dylan, were devastated.

I reached out to Griese, (I was covering the Broncos at the time) and he wrote Ryan and Dylan a compassionate, healing, personal letter. Whenever I think about Griese, I think about that letter.

And now, when I think about Tulo, I’ll think about that $50,000 check.

“I know Tulo doesn’t like to get publicity for doing things like this,” Griese said. “But in this case, I asked him if I could let people know. He told me to go ahead.”