“You are my greatest accomplishment.”
“Words can’t even express how proud I am of you.”
“I love you with all my heart.”
We don’t have to tell you that these phrases come straight from the mouths of moms. But these ladies are talking to a very special set of kids — their professional football player sons — on NFL draft day.
Professional athletes will be the first to attribute much of their success to the parents who brought them to practice, woke them up for games and served as unofficial equipment managers and cheerleaders. (Moms — not there yet? They’ll thank you eventually.) But it seems these moms are just as thankful for being along for the ride.
“The most rewarding [part] is giving birth,” says Garnette Jones, mother of Byron Jones, cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. “And then you go, ‘Wow, new life,’ and you wonder, ‘What are they going to be?’ You encourage it, you fan that flame, and it’s beautiful to see it come to fruition.”
We can only imagine what it’s like to watch these baby boys go from overalls and swing sets (don’t miss the family photos in the video below) to NFL jerseys and stadiums.
“Thank you for lifting your family up,” says Oneone Shelton, mom of the Cleveland Browns’ nose tackle Danny Shelton.
So take it from moms whose kids are all grown up — motherhood is a truly rewarding journey. Happy Mother’s Day from the NFL.
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