In the 1950 professional football has actually become a significant sport in the U. “That’s what I told myself: This season’s for my dad.S A. “I’m paying tribute to my dad this year, for sure, the whole year,” Reed said. So for that not to happen, it was tough.”īut he knows his father will always be with him. “Definitely that was like one of the first things to do is go take my daughter to go see her grandfather. “That’s what really had me emotional,” Reed said. He and his girlfriend are expecting a baby girl in two months, and Reed is disappointed his father won’t get to meet her during the offseason. Being around his teammates, Reed said, and not dwelling on his loss might be best. Reed is unsure if he’ll attend his father’s funeral in Iowa, saying the two “already chopped it up” in their numerous conversations over the last several months. “Obviously a very, very tough day for D.J.,” said coach Robert Saleh, who was told before the game. Some of his coaches and teammates were unaware of what Reed was dealing with until seeing his Twitter post on the ride home. “I already knew what I was going to do and that’s what I did.” “It was just deeper than football when I got the interception,” he said. It was actually Reed honoring his late father. Some assumed it was ill-timed showboating. That’s exactly what Reed did in a terrific debut for the Jets, allowing no catches in the 24-9 loss, forcing a fumble and intercepting Lamar Jackson late in the fourth quarter.Īfter coming down with the ball, Reed ran to midfield, knelt on the NFL logo and raised his arms - with the football in his right hand. “So I just said, ‘OK, I know he’s watching, so I’m going to put on a show for him.’” And he passed away right before the game started. But I believe in God, and I just thought for him to pass away right before the game there was a reason for that because he could have passed during that whole week. “It was basically just controlling my energy, really, because my emotions were everywhere. 1 cornerback.īut before he made his regular-season debut with his new team came the news about his father. A big payday came in March, when he signed a three-year, $33 million contract with the Jets to be their No. And in college stops at Fresno State, Cerritos College and finally Kansas State, where he developed into a fifth-round draft pick by San Francisco in 2018.Īfter two seasons with the 49ers, Reed broke out in Seattle after being claimed on waivers. Like when Reed was at Independence High School in Bakersfield, California, and became the first athlete in school history to be selected team MVP in both football and basketball. “And he got sick and it kind of deteriorated his body and stuff, so he couldn’t be there like he wanted to be there.” “When he was healthy, he was active very well in my life, like a great father and all that,” Reed said. The 25-year-old Reed’s love for sports developed from his dad, who got him into football, wrestling, soccer, basketball and tennis, among others. “I learned a lot from his personality and doing that during tough times.” He was always smiling, chuckling, joking, cracking jokes, just trying to make light of things. “The thing that I loved about my dad is, in front of me and talking on the phone with him, he always had a sense of humor. Dennis Reed breathed on his own two more days before taking a turn and dying Sunday morning.
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