Tag: family

Demario Davis says his 1-year old daughter is cancer-free

New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis told TMZ Sports that his daughter Carly-Faith is cancer-free after a battle with retinoblastoma.

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Here’s some great news: New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis announced Monday that his young daughter Carly-Faith is free of retinoblastoma, a rare eye cancer. The treatment required surgical removal, and Carly-Faith now wears a prosthetic.

Davis broke the news to TMZ Sports, saying: “I’m a person that just never try to take anything for granted and to know what she’s been through, even to the point of having to lose her eye, but her body is free of cancer.”

It’s obviously big for the Davis family, and they’re all thankful to put this behind them. And it’s impressive that Davis has been able to compartmentalize the situation against his job as one of the NFL’s best linebackers and a team captain, somehow balancing his commitment to his daughter’s health with what he’s been able to accomplish on the field. Just this week, he notched a dozen tackles in his team’s win over the San Francisco 49ers, the most he’s recorded in a game since signing with the Saints back in 2018.

That certainly speaks to the strength of his character. And he sees this as an opportunity to reach out and support others. Davis added, “We’re able to use her story and bring awareness to a lot of families that probably wouldn’t of known about it if it wasn’t for us going through it.”

https://twitter.com/demario__davis/status/1325922714490720259?s=20

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Retired Saints FB Zach Line still dressing out for game days — from his couch

Zach Line rose to prominence as the New Orleans Saints fullback in recent years, but now he is enjoying retirement with his family.

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Retirement is hard 😉 #geauxsaints @saints

A post shared by Zach Line (@zline48) on

They say you don’t have to get ready if you stay ready. That’s a message retired New Orleans Saints fullback Zach Line has taken to heart, even if he’s watching games on the couch — in his old Saints jersey and helmet with a football in hand, surrounded by his young children in matching kits.

“Retirement is hard,” Line joked in a post from his official Instagram account after the Saints won their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Line retired after 80 games and seven years in the NFL, spending his first four seasons with the Minnesota Vikings. He signed with New Orleans in 2017 and went on to make a name for himself as the lead blocker for Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, and occasionally Taysom Hill, while also developing into a sure-handed option in the passing game (catching four touchdown passes).

But he was content to walk away from the game on his own terms as a free agent in 2020, opting to retire before his 30th birthday so he could spend more time with his family. And he’s clearly enjoying himself.

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LOOK: Taysom Hill announces the birth of his son

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill had a great explanation for missing two days of training camp practice: the birth of his son Beau

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The New Orleans Saints were without Taysom Hill for two days of practice in training camp, and now we know why: Hill’s family just added one more. Hill and his wife Emily announced the birth of their son Beau Nixon Hill on Saturday in a post from the quarterback’s official Instagram account.

It’s the latest and biggest move for Hill’s household, following the one-year contract extension he signed earlier this summer. Hill, who will be celebrating his 30th birthday on Sunday, spent his offseason preparing to compete with Jameis Winston for the right to back up Drew Brees, and maybe set himself up to start under center as soon as 2021.

But asking whether Hill will be up to the task is a question for another day. For now, he’s focused on being a great father, and we’re certainly wishing the best to him and his young family.

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Peyton Manning’s nephew, Arch, is the No. 1-ranked QB in 2023 class

Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli, is the top-ranked high school quarterback in the 2023 class.

Arch Manning, the son Cooper and nephew of Peyton and Eli, is the No. 1-ranked quarterback prospect for the 2023 class, according to high school football prospect rankings published by 247Sports.com.

Arch is fifth overall in the rankings and second among offensive players, one spot behind 6-5, 285-pound offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.

As a freshman at Isidore Newman High School last fall, Arch totaled 2,438 passing yards and 34 touchdowns against just six interceptions.

Arch’s father, Cooper, was a star high school athlete but his football career was cut short by spinal stenosis before he had a chance to play in college.

Arch is the grandson of Archie Manning, who played quarterback in the NFL. His uncles, Peyton and Eli, both won Super Bowls as pro QBs.

“Obviously, [Manning’s] a big last name but I have to keep it more about the team,” Arch said in an interview with Sam Spiegelman of Rivals.com earlier this year. “Winning the team over was my biggest goal to get the starting job.”

Arch has already received interest from Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss. Peyton played for the Vols; Eli played for the Rebels.

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Notre Dame Descendant Gets Scholarship Offer from Irish

If your grandmother was once Joe Montana’s tutor you’d be more than a little excited to get a scholarship offer to Notre Dame, too.

If your grandfather was a former national champion linebacker, your great-uncle was a backup quarterback and your grandmother tutored perhaps the the biggest football star to ever come from the same university, one might say that particular school is in your blood.

That’s the case for high school junior Nolan Ziegler, a 6-4, 205 pound safety with a 3.85 GPA from Catholic Central in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Ziegler is a class of 2022 prospect and is the grandson of ’73 Notre Dame national champion linebacker, Tim Sullivan.  He’s also the great-nephew of former backup Irish signal caller, Fred Trosko, Jr., who was a sophomore on that ’73 title squad.

Then on top of all that, Ziegler’s grandmother that married Tim Sullivan was in Notre Dame’s first female class and tutored the legendary Joe Montana.

Wednesday saw Ziegler get his own attention from Notre Dame as the three-star safety received a scholarship offer from Brian Kelly and company.

Ziegler’s clearly got bloodline to the University of Notre Dame that few can compare to.  I can understand both sides of it for the now Notre Dame target as for one, you get to carry on a family legacy of attending Notre Dame, but on the other hand, I would fully understand if he’d eventually want to go somewhere and not constantly be seen as “the guy with a ton of family members from there”.

Congratulations to Ziegler on the offer as Notre Dame joins the likes of Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska and a handful of MAC schools to have offered a scholarship.

Related:  Notre Dame’s 2020 Recruiting Class Commitments

Thomas Morstead on adjusting life in the NFL to COVID-19 challenges

New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead is pleased with the adjustments to COVID-19 that the NFLPA won, but knows things will get tougher.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged the NFL to get to work during a public health crisis, uniquely dangerous among professional sports due to football’s high-impact nature. And while he understands that not everyone is happy with the situation, New Orleans Saints punter Thomas Morstead was glad to lend a hand during negotiations as the team’s NFL Players Association representative.

“Look, I’m personally thrilled with where we ended up,” Morstead said during a recent media conference call. “I know there are always going to be people that don’t agree with what the end result is. For players that want to opt out, they have that right. We’ve tried to provide the ability for someone to do that if they feel like that is the right decision for them and that family, but also at the same time, I think it is important that players don’t knock other players that decide they want to play, they want to take on the risk.”

So far, just two of Morstead’s Saints teammates have opted out of the 2020 season due to health concerns (backup tight ends Cole Wick and Jason Vander Laan). But with the NFL deadline to opt out rapidly approaching at 3 p.m. CT on Thursday, Aug. 6, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if more players decide it’s best to wait until 2021.

As for the changes to his daily grind: Morstead says he honestly hasn’t noticed much disruption to his routine, with most of the hassle put on those around him. And he’s careful to recognize the work others do to support him.

“I don’t know that there has been a tough adjustment (for me). I think the tough adjustment is in all the staff, it’s all of the trainers,” Morstead continued. “I think for us (players), it’s just wear the mask and socially distance yourself when you’re able to do that. I don’t sense my day has gotten more strenuous or tougher to do. I still can do everything I need to do. Be mindful of a few things, but it’s really, I’d say that the burden is on the staff and the people that are assisting us and so we’re really appreciative of that.”

When asked whether he’s confident the NFL can pull off the upcoming season as things currently stand, Morstead replied, “That’s above my paygrade. All I know is that we’ve done everything we can to provide as safe a working environment as possible. I don’t think anybody’s under the delusion that people aren’t going to get COVID. The idea with the testing is that we’re hopefully going to catch it before guys have a chance to spread it.”

That’s been the same line from Saints coach Sean Payton, who has stressed that the goal isn’t to prevent infections altogether — that’s inevitable in a contact sport where people are lined up, shoulder-to-shoulder and breathing on each other three or four hours. As Payton explained it, and to which Morstead agrees, all of their efforts are about mitigating risk as much as possible.

To help, the Saints bought out four floors of rooms at a French Quarter hotel, where they plan to house players, coaches, and other employees throughout training camp. Morstead plans to stay there as often as possible, but with a family of four school-aged children at home for his wife to contend with, he isn’t sure how often he can stay away from the house. Just like everyone else, he’s making the best that he can of a difficult situation.

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Ex-NFL WR Reche Caldwell, Andre’s brother, killed in Florida

Former NFL wide receiver Reche Caldwell was killed in Florida on Saturday.

Former NFL wide receiver Donald “Reche” Caldwell was shot and killed during an attempted robbery in Tampa on Saturday. He was 41.

Police believe he was ambushed during the robbery attempt.

Reche was the older brother of ex-receiver Andre Caldwell, who played with the Denver Broncos from 2012-2015.

“Our hearts go out to former Super Bowl 50 team member and four-year Broncos WR Andre Caldwell, who lost his older brother Reche,” the Broncos tweeted from their official Twitter account on Sunday.

Andre played eight years in the NFL — four in Denver and four with the Cincinnati Bengals. He caught 156 passes for 1,509 yards and 11 touchdowns before retiring as a Super Bowl champion in 2016.

Andre’s older brother, Reche, spent six years career in the NFL.  Reche caught 152 passes for 1,851 yards and 11 touchdowns. His best season came with the New England Patriots in 2006 when he hauled in 61 receptions for 760 yards and four scores.

Reche last played in the NFL with the Washington Redskins in 2007.

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Twitter shares support for Floyd Little after cancer diagnosis

Sports fans took to Twitter to tweet support for former Broncos running back Floyd Little.

Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Floyd Little has been diagnosed with a “treatable but aggressive form of cancer,” former college football teammate Pat Killorin told Nate Mink of Syracuse.com.

Killorin started a GoFundMe page to help pay for Little’s medical expenses. As of Sunday morning, the page has raised almost $13,000.

“Floyd has a wide community of support who expressed the desire to support him in prayer and in the expense of his cancer treatment,” Killorin wrote on the GoFundMe page. “So we created this Friends of Floyd (‘FOF’) Page with the permission of the Little Family to receive words of encouragement and to solicit funds to offset the financial burden this journey will take on Floyd and his family. We believe the last thing we want our friend Floyd to do is to worry about this expense or to give up in order to avoid it.”

Broncos fans, Syracuse alumni, media members and coaches shared messages of support for Little on Twitter.

Little, 77, was a three-time first-team All-American at Syracuse before going on to earn five Pro Bowl selections with the Broncos in the NFL. He is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Denver and Syracuse both retired his No. 44 jersey.

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No, Drew Lock’s real name isn’t ‘Paul’

A website that tracks NFL stats says Drew Lock’s full name is “Paul Andrew Lock.” Is that accurate?

On Monday, Ronnie Kohrt of Mile High Sports shared a screenshot of Drew Lock’s Pro Football Reference bio on Twitter that caused a bit of a stir.

According to PFR’s website, Lock’s first name is “Paul.”

Some Broncos fans were surprised to learn of Lock’s apparent “real” name — until his dad chimed in and cleared up the confusion.

“Andy” Lock, Drew’s dad, informed Broncos Wire that his given name is “Paul.” So how did PFR confuse Drew’s name with his dad’s name?

They probably just copied the name from NFL.com’s initial draft bio page for Lock. His name has since been updated to “Drew” on NFL.com but the link to his draft bio page still includes “paul-lock” in the permalink.

Someone who punched Lock’s information in at the NFL combine might have seen his dad’s name in records and mistyped it as Drew’s own name. That’s just a guess, though — it’s unclear how the mixup happened.

This much is clear: Denver’s quarterback is not named “Paul.”

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KJ Hamler got his mom a puppy for Mother’s Day

Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler surprised his mom with a puppy on Mother’s Day.

Denver Broncos wide receiver KJ Hamler surprised his mom with a puppy for Mother’s Day. Judging from her reaction, it seems safe to say Tonya Hamler was pretty excited about the gift:

Hamler’s mom stole the show on ‘Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL’ and she has become a beloved member of Broncos Country.

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