{"id":665891,"date":"2026-01-10T10:44:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-10T10:44:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/665891\/"},"modified":"2026-01-10T10:44:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-10T10:44:15","slug":"tampa-bay-buccaneers-rookies-mom-sings-anthem-new-good-luck-charm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/665891\/","title":{"rendered":"Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rookie’s Mom Sings Anthem, New Good Luck Charm?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tampa Bay Bucs’ Elijah Roberts
\n My Mom Sang The National Anthem!!!
\n … New Good Luck Charm?!<\/p>\n

\n Published
\n January 10, 2026
\n 12:10 AM PST\n <\/p>\n

Play video content<\/p>\n

\"010726<\/p>\n

TMZSports.com\/Courtesy of NFL<\/p>\n

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers might have found their good luck charm for 2026 — at least that\u2019s what star wideout Mike Evans<\/a> told rookie defensive lineman Elijah Roberts after his mother showed off her pipes last week!<\/p>\n

Roberts\u2019 mom, Shanda, sang the national anthem before Saturday\u2019s season finale over the Carolina Panthers — a game they won — and Elijah tells TMZ Sports his teammates all want her to come back after the dub … a proud son moment for the young player<\/p>\n

Shanda Roberts is the mother of @Buccaneers<\/a> DL Elijah Roberts. <\/p>\n

She just sang the National Anthem ahead of today’s game \u2764\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/mJAJMoWr8I<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NFL (@NFL) January 3, 2026<\/a>
\n @NFL<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cI knew she would kill it,\u201d Elijah told us. \u201cI knew she also would be super nervous, but I\u2019m nervous before every game, too. It was just crazy it lined up that the game she sang was the game for us to win to have a chance to get into the playoffs too.\u201d<\/p>\n

We also spoke to Shanda, who has been singing anthems at big events, including several Miami Heat games, for years. So, when the Bucs asked her last summer to sing for them, she didn’t think twice.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By the time she took the field on Sunday wearing her son\u2019s No. 95 jersey \u2026 she admits she was petrified.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my God, if I mess up, my son is going to be the laughing stock of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,\u201d she told us. \u201cI just did not want to embarrass him. That was my biggest fear.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turns out, she did the opposite!<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Elijah<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Together, the mother and son duo are using their platform to draw attention to Shanda\u2019s non-profit, Pain 2 Purpose, which advocates for survivors of domestic violence. Earlier in the season, Elijah wore custom spikes for the NFL\u2019s \u201cMy Cause, My Cleats,\u201d featuring his mother\u2019s foundation.<\/p>\n

Despite winning Sunday’s game, the Bucs finished the season 8-9, and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2019.<\/p>\n

It was particularly disappointing given they started 6-2 … before things fell apart, with the squad missing the playoffs thanks to a tie breaker going against them.<\/p>\n

Elijah, a fifth-round pick out of SMU, played in all 17 games, finishing with 14 tackles, two sacks and a fumble recovery — along with a new memory to cherish (and perhaps a future good luck charm)!<\/p>\n