SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Jahlani Tavai will have a big crowd cheering him in the stands Sunday as many of his family members make the trip to watch him play in Super Bowl X.
With them is a very important person who will be able to watch the Patriots linebackers take the field and compete on the NFL’s biggest stage.
advertise
It was none other than Tawai’s daughter.
“It’s going to be great,” he said when asked what it would be like to share this with her. “Hopefully we can get the job done and have a great time with the confetti.”
While she’s too young to truly remember the experience, Tavai will always remember her memories with him.
“I don’t take any moment for granted. Every time I see her on the court before a game, it gives me motivation to do my job at the highest level,” he added. “I can’t wait for her to actually look back on this in the future and know that she got to experience something so special.”
advertise
In addition to his daughter, his parents will be in the stands cheering him on.
“I’m just a product of their hard work. Not just myself, but my brother, me and my sister, everything we do is for them and the struggles they go through to get us there and play football,” Tavai said. “It would be a disservice to me and my siblings if we didn’t take advantage of these opportunities.
“So come Sunday, I’m excited to play in front of them on the biggest stage of my career, so I hope they absorb and embrace the excitement as much as I did.”
Of course, his six siblings didn’t miss the chance to watch him play either.
advertise
Tavai has six siblings, five brothers and one sister, all of whom are athletes. His older brother, Jordan, played college football at the University of Kansas but did not make it to the NFL. As for his older brother JR, he played college football at USC and then went on to play for the Titans for a while before heading to Canada to play. Next up is his younger brother, Justus, who spent time with the Patriots but is now playing professional football. Next Jonah spent some time in training camp with the Seattle Seahawks a few years ago, but now plays for the BC Lions of the CFL. Ultimately, as Tavai puts it, they are “waiting for Jagger to find a home.”
And, of course, there’s his sister Serena, who is playing college football at one of the top women’s programs.
“The competition was so fierce,” Tavai recalled. “It was just chaos. Everybody was fighting for something, whether it was a remote or a ball. It all started from there… Even if it wasn’t football, we competed in every way, whether it was rugby or card games.”
When talking about who will be with him, Tavai also took some time to reflect on the past year, a year in which he faced many hardships, including being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease and losing his unborn child.
advertise
“I’m really grateful,” Tavai detailed. “I’m grateful for life, for having such great people in this organization, for our coaches, and even for all of my friends, family and loved ones who reached out and came to visit me during those difficult times. I’m 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 gets support from family at Super Bowl LX