Joe Flacco has five kids, and they are all huge fans of Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. So, as the story goes, Flacco’s dad made the kids a deal: if Flacco was playing in Miami the end of the year, he would have the family go down to Florida for the game, and hopefully meet their hero.
True story, as the QB revealed Sunday after the Jets’ season-ending loss to the Dolphins.
“Yeah, a couple of months ago my dad made this promise to them that if their dad happened to be playing in Miami at the end of year,…they’re all Tyreek Hill fans, and what kid isn’t?” Flacco said. “But my dad primised them that if I was playing, he’d bring them to Miami for the game."
Flacco found out Thursday that he was starting with Mike White out due to his ribs, and that’s when he had to call dad and deliver the news to start packing for South Beach.
“All of a sudden on Thursday, I'm like, 'hey man, I'm playing. I know you're picking them up from wrestling practice tonight, so when they get in the car, just a warning. They're going to give you hell about going to this Miami game. So, I'm just giving you a heads-up, whether you actually meant it or not,’” Flacco said. “And he's like, 'oh no man.'”
Turns out, Flacco’s dad was excited, and he enlisted Joe’s mom to help out as well, which turned out to be huge. And indeed, the kids got to come down on the field and meet Hill, and while Flacco couldn’t cap it off with a Jets win, it was still a banner day for him as a dad.
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“How cool is that to have that opportunity as a little kid, to see your dad go against one of your favorite players?” Flacco said. “I think it's awesome, too. I felt very fortunate today to be able to see how happy they were. It made me happy. I was excited to go play today. And that was part of the reason I was so excited."
Could they have seen the end of their dad’s NFL career? It’s possible, as Flacco is a free agent to be and, as he turns 38 next week, he has seen his best days come long ago. But, even after 15 seasons, four teams, a Super Bowl win and MVP, he felt like Sunday was as representative of a game as he’s had in a long time.
“I went out there today and honestly felt as good as I've ever felt. A lot of people might now want to see it that way, and when you're sitting on the bench, it's not fun. It pulls your mind in a million directions,” Flacco said. “But every time you get back out there, on the practice field, or in the game on Sunday, it’s so much fun to be out there playing the game I love. I’ve always said that I’ll do it as long as I can, and we’ll see what happens this offseason.”
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