Some fans may have scoffed at the way Jets cornerback D.J. Reed celebrated his interception late in Sunday's loss to the Ravens; even though it led to a Jets score, Reed's team was down 24-3 with less than three minutes left when he picked off Lamar Jackson and then ran to midfield, dropped to his knees, and looked to the sky as he pounded his chest.
As it turns out, that gesture was for his father, Dennis Reed Sr., who passed away Sunday morning.
"My dad passed away literally right before the game, so I was still emotional," a near-tears Reed told WCBS-TV's Otis Livingston in an interview that aired on Channel 2's Jets Late Night show. "That pick was for my dad. It wasn't celebrating with the scoreboard…it was about much more than football."
On Monday morning, the Jets followed up that notion with a tribute to Reed and his family, noting that D.J. is dedicating this season to his late father.
Reed spoke more about it with the media on Monday, revealing his father had battled Multiple Sclerosis since 2004, and his uncle had texted him just before kickoff that the fight had ended.
"I think on Wednesday they told me he was in the hospital on life support, and pretty much said he's tired of fighting," Reed revealed. "They took the breathing tube out, and my mom said he probably wasn't going to make it, so I already had it in my head, but for two days, he was breathing on his own, which was a good sign. But, right before we were about to go on the field for introductions, my cousins were texting me sending condolences, and my uncle texted me that my dad had passed. I was crying during the National Anthem."
Somehow, Reed was able to compartmentalize the emotion and play a game where he had two tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble.
"It was hard, basically just controlling my energy because my emotions were everywhere, but I believe in God, so I just thought there was a reason for him to pass away just before the game," Reed said. "I just said okay, I know he's watching, so I'm going to put on a show for him."
Dennis Reed Sr. introduced D.J. to "every sport you can think of," but especially wrestling and football, which he played himself. D.J. was in elementary school when his father got sick, and he wasn't able to continue to do those things – but he always kept up a smile, even when D.J. visited his father in Iowa last year, the last time he saw him, or the last time he spoke to him for real a few weeks ago.
"The thing I loved about my dad was he was always smiling and joking, trying to make light of things, and I learned a lot from his personality trying to do that in tough times," Reed said.
Some of his Jets teammates knew that Reed Sr. was in his final days, and D.J. himself had already had a little time to grieve, as he mentioned – but when he snagged the interception, the football game became secondary.
"I honestly forgot about the score, because it was deeper than football. I wanted to pay tribute to my dad, and I already knew what I was going to do," he said.
Shockingly, however, Reed may not attend any of his father's services.
"I'll see how I feel, but me and my dad, we already chopped it up; we had great communication, nothing but love, but I don't know if a funeral t will be the best situation for me," Reed said. "The best situation might be being around my teammates, keeping busy and being in the building.
That's what helps me; I don't want to just sit and dwell, I don't think I'll be in a good head space if I do that."
There is one regret Reed has about the situation: his father will never get to meet his granddaughter, who is due to be born later this year.
"The toughest part for me is that we're having a baby, and during this offseason, I wanted to take my girl to see my dad. I wanted my dad to see his granddaughter…she'll be born in two months, and one of the first things I wanted to do next offseason was take my daughter to go see her grandfather, so not being able to do that will be tough," he said.
Surely, Dennis Reed Sr. will be looking down on his son with pride on the day his baby girl enters the world.
Follow Lou DiPietro on Twitter: @LouDiPietroWFAN
Listen live to WFAN via:
Audacy App | Online Stream | Smart Speaker
Follow WFAN on Social Media:
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Twitch
