Emotional Simmons Driven By Love Of Family
NASHVILLE- History repeated itself on Wednesday for Tennessee Titans star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. His emotions temporarily got the best of him during his press conference, officially announcing his four-year, $94 million deal.
It wasn't the first time we've seen an emotional Simmons stand before cameras inside St. Thomas Sports Park as he shared his story with the media.
It was shy of four years ago when Simmons made his first appearance before the Nashville media, a newly drafted player from Mississippi State who came into the league with significant character concerns. Sitting in a chair between head coach Mike Vrabel and then general manager Jon Robinson, with team owner Amy Adams-Strunk to his right, Simmons became emotional when answering questions about the incident he was involved in while still in high school.
For those of us who witnessed Simmons emotions on that day, it was deja vu seeing the bear of a man people fondly refer to as "Big Jeff" become tearful once again, as if it were almost a relief for him to have proven those who doubted him wrong over the last four years.
Simmons seated at his introductory press conference in Nashville April, 2019.
Photo By Greg Arias/All Titans
While that might have been in the back of his mind, his family, who Simmons credited as the force behind him, was at the front of his mind today.
"To my family, I love and appreciate you, and it's not just about me. You're the reason I wake up each and every day," said Simmons. "I want to be the best I can be every day, and my mom, a single parent, so just to see where we've come from, to see the journey we've been on as a family (audible pause), it's crazy."
"(Audible pause) I think, man, it's just, from house to house, apartment to apartment, (audible pause) sharing the bed with my brother, man we good, we just, it's just not my kids' kids, it's generational wealth as we call it," said a tearful Simmons. "It's what I do this for, man. Every day I wake up, I just think about the hard times when I know my mom didn't feel like it."
Simmons, now with tears streaming down his face, continued on.
An emotional Jeffery Simmons pauses to compose himself during Wednesday's press conference announcing his new contract extension with the Tennessee Titans.
Photo By: Greg Arias/All Titans
"Sometimes, 'I don't feel like it,' and 'I'm hurting,' but when I think about my mom having to raise five kids on her own. For me to say, I don't want to do this? That's my motivation. My family," Simmons said.
He concluded his opening remarks by showing his gratitude.
"I'm grateful, I'm excited, and I never saw myself wearing anything but the two-tone blue, other than holding up a Super Bowl ring and a gold jacket, so those are the only things I've seen myself wearing outside of two-tone blue, concluded Simmons. "So I'm excited, and the work's just really getting started.
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