TAMPA \u2014 This is a very special Father\u2019s Day for Chris Godwin.<\/p>\n
In January, the Bucs receiver and wife Mariah became first-time parents to son Ace.<\/p>\n
Nearly a year earlier, 10 days after the Bucs lost to the Lions in a division-round playoff game, Godwin\u2019s father, Rod Christopher Godwin Sr., died of cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wasn\u2018t my coach. He was just a parent supporting me,\u201d Godwin told the Tampa Bay Times in October. \u201cI just always thought growing up that that\u2019s kind of how everybody\u2019s parents were. But then, as I got older, I realized, like, that that wasn\u2019t the case. And it went that way all the way through high school, right?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough to put into words. A lot of my memories as a young boy playing football when I was 6 were of my dad, running up and down the sideline screaming, \u2019Half man! Half monster! The Manster!\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Chris Godwin\u2019s wife Mariah holds their newborn son Ace during a news conference back in March. [\u00a0DIRK SHADD | Times\u00a0]<\/p>\n
Godwin has decided to honor his father by adding \u201cJr.\u201d to the back of his Bucs No. 14 jersey this season. <\/p>\n
\u201cI lost my Pops in January of 2024, and Father\u2019s Day last year was a time of reflection and introspection,\u201d Godwin wrote on Instagram this past week. \u201dThis year, Father\u2019s Day represents a full circle moment in my life journey as I get to celebrate being a first-time dad with my son, Ace. <\/p>\n
\u201cFatherhood has already been an unbelievable experience and has changed me in so many ways. I can only hope that Ace feels the same way about me as I do about my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been quite a journey in the NFL for Godwin. In 2021, he tore two knee ligaments in a game against the Saints in the final month of the season. Somehow, he started the 2022 season opener at Dallas and caught the first pass of the year from Tom Brady. <\/p>\n
Flash forward to that night Oct. 21, 2024. The Bucs were on their way to losing 41-31 to the Ravens in the final minute when Godwin dislocated his ankle after an illegal hip drop tackle by linebacker Roquan Smith. At the time, Godwin was leading the NFL with 50 receptions and had caught five touchdown passes. <\/p>\n
But Godwin never has wavered about his desire to return to the field. He will do so with a new way to honor his father.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a professional athlete, you are always recognized for the name on the front of your jersey, but I also play for the name that\u2019s printed on the back,\u201d Godwin wrote in the Instagram post. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019ve chosen to add \u2018Jr.\u2019 to my name in honor of the man who gave so unselfishly of himself to others and helped mold me into who I am today.\u201d <\/p>\n
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