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SANTA CLARA, California — Jahlani Tavai will have a large group of people cheering for him in the stands on Sunday as many members of his family have made the trip to watch him play in Super Bowl LX.
And with them is a very important person who will be able to watch the Patriots' linebacker take the field and play on the NFL's biggest stage.
That's none other than Tavai's daughter.
"It's going to be awesome," he said when asked about what it's like to get to share this with her. "Hopefully we can get the job done and we can have a fun time in the confetti."
And while she's still too young to truly remember this experience, Tavai will always have the memory of her being there with him.
"I don't take any moment for granted. Every time I see her on the field before the game, it just gives me motivation to do my job at the highest level," he added. "I can't wait for her to really look back at this in the future and know that she got to experience something so special."
Along with his daughter, he will also have his parents in the stands, cheering him on.
"I'm just a product of their hard work. Everything that, not just myself, but my brothers and I and my sister, everything we do is dedicated for them and the struggles that they have gone through to allow us to get our there and play football," Tavai said. "It would be a disservice of me and my siblings if we didn't take advantage of the opportunities.
"So come Sunday, I'm excited to play in front of them in the biggest stage of my career, and just in general, so I hope that they are able to soak it up just as much as me and just embrace the excitement."
And of course, his six siblings wouldn't miss the opportunity to watch him play.
Tavai has six siblings, with five brothers and one sister, and they are all athletes. His older brother, Jordan played college football at the University of Kansas, but did not go into the NFL. As for his older brother, J.R., he played college football at USC and then went on to play for the Titans for a bit before moving to play in Canada. Moving on to his younger brother, Justus, he had a stint with the Patriots, but is now playing professional rugby. Jonah, who's up next, spent some time with the Seattle Seahawks in training camp a few years back, but is now in the CFL with the BC Lions. And lastly, as Tavai said, they are "waiting for Jagger to find a home."
But of course, there's also his sister, Serena, who is playing college rugby at one of the top women's programs.
"It was just so competitive," Tavai recalled. "It was just chaos. Everybody was fighting over something, whether it was the remote or a ball. And it started from there... Even if it's not football, we compete in every way, whether it's rugby or a card game."
Along with speaking about who will be with him, Tavai also took a moment to reflect on this past year, in which he has faced a lot of hardships, including being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease as well as the loss of an unborn child.
"I'm just truly grateful," Tavai detailed. "I'm grateful for life, and I'm grateful for such great guys in this organization, our coaches, and even just all my friends and family and loved ones that reached out and came to visit during those hard times. I'm just really grateful to know that I'm blessed with good people."
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots LB Jahlani Tavai fueled by family in Super Bowl LX
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And with them is a very important person who will be able to watch the Patriots' linebacker take the field and play on the NFL's biggest stage.
That's none other than Tavai's daughter.
"It's going to be awesome," he said when asked about what it's like to get to share this with her. "Hopefully we can get the job done and we can have a fun time in the confetti."
And while she's still too young to truly remember this experience, Tavai will always have the memory of her being there with him.
"I don't take any moment for granted. Every time I see her on the field before the game, it just gives me motivation to do my job at the highest level," he added. "I can't wait for her to really look back at this in the future and know that she got to experience something so special."
Along with his daughter, he will also have his parents in the stands, cheering him on.
"I'm just a product of their hard work. Everything that, not just myself, but my brothers and I and my sister, everything we do is dedicated for them and the struggles that they have gone through to allow us to get our there and play football," Tavai said. "It would be a disservice of me and my siblings if we didn't take advantage of the opportunities.
"So come Sunday, I'm excited to play in front of them in the biggest stage of my career, and just in general, so I hope that they are able to soak it up just as much as me and just embrace the excitement."
And of course, his six siblings wouldn't miss the opportunity to watch him play.
Tavai has six siblings, with five brothers and one sister, and they are all athletes. His older brother, Jordan played college football at the University of Kansas, but did not go into the NFL. As for his older brother, J.R., he played college football at USC and then went on to play for the Titans for a bit before moving to play in Canada. Moving on to his younger brother, Justus, he had a stint with the Patriots, but is now playing professional rugby. Jonah, who's up next, spent some time with the Seattle Seahawks in training camp a few years back, but is now in the CFL with the BC Lions. And lastly, as Tavai said, they are "waiting for Jagger to find a home."
But of course, there's also his sister, Serena, who is playing college rugby at one of the top women's programs.
"It was just so competitive," Tavai recalled. "It was just chaos. Everybody was fighting over something, whether it was the remote or a ball. And it started from there... Even if it's not football, we compete in every way, whether it's rugby or a card game."
Along with speaking about who will be with him, Tavai also took a moment to reflect on this past year, in which he has faced a lot of hardships, including being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease as well as the loss of an unborn child.
"I'm just truly grateful," Tavai detailed. "I'm grateful for life, and I'm grateful for such great guys in this organization, our coaches, and even just all my friends and family and loved ones that reached out and came to visit during those hard times. I'm just really grateful to know that I'm blessed with good people."
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Patriots LB Jahlani Tavai fueled by family in Super Bowl LX
Continue reading...
