Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson might have caught four passes for 23 yards in the Rams’ Super Bowl victory last night, but his biggest play was off the field—immediately after the game—when he rushed to be with his wife during the delivery of their second child.
After going into labor mid-game, wife Samaria at 40 weeks pregnant was carried out of the stadium on a stretcher. But if we know anything about the will of a woman going into labor, it’s that you don’t mess around with her wishes. And the universe—somehow—kept the news from reaching Jefferson on the field.
I'm pretty sure I just saw Van Jefferson's wife leaving the stadium on a stretcher about to have their baby. Talk about dedication.
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) February 14, 2022
“He is going to play. He is going to keep playing,” said Samaria prior to the game, via The Athletic. “I said, ‘You play, I’ll see you at the hospital afterwards.’ That’s what it is. I will never take that moment away from him. I want to see him glorify God on the field that day. … Knowing Van and how he is so caring, he just worries so much about me and the kids. … If I did tell him or someone told him during the game, he would come off that field. We’re saying, ‘Hey, you go play. We’ll see you after.'”
Van Jefferson hustling out of the stadium to get to his wife in labor #SBLVI pic.twitter.com/0GDW0ceWLf
— NFL GameDay (@NFLGameDay) February 14, 2022
When. the game ended and the celebration on the field began, Jefferson passed on the confetti and headed straight to the hospital with his 5-year-old daughter Bella, and his dad. He may be a receiver, but he definitely logged some rushing yardage last night, too. “It was a great day, bro,” he said on Instagram Live. “I got three prizes today – my wife, my son and the Super Bowl.”
