Lamar Jackson stands with mom Felicia James after winning the Heisman award in 2016.Photo:John Angelillo/UPI/Alamy
John Angelillo/UPI/Alamy
MeetLamar Jackson’smanager, Felicia Jones, or as he calls her, “Mom.”
The Baltimore Ravens quarterback was born in Pompano Beach, a city in South Florida, to parents Lamar Jackson Sr. and Felicia Jones. Jackson’s father died when he was 8 years old, leaving Jones to raise him and his siblings alone.
But, according to Jackson, she never complained or asked for help. Instead, she took care of everything on her own, waking up early to go to work and coming home late to provide for the family.
Seeing how hard his mom worked as a single parent, the NFL star said he was inspired to push himself and never give up. “If she can do that, I can do anything,” he oncesaid at a press conference, adding, “This woman’s a superhero to me.”
Her influence extended well beyond her work ethic and parenting duties. In fact, Jones was his first football coach, and after being drafted into the NFL in 2018, Jackson opted not to hire an agent or manager, instead trusting his mom to continue guiding his career.
Here’s everything to know about Lamar Jackson’s mom, Felicia Jones, and her relationship with the athlete.
She was a single mom to four kids
Born in 1997, Lamar Jackson Jr. was the first of his parents’ four kids. He has three younger siblings, including a brother, Jamar, and two sisters, whose names have not been made public.
The family lived together until 2005, when Jackson’s father died of a heart attack. That same day, his grandmother died too, leaving Jones a single mother of four.
“Just [seeing] how she [would] grind and work without complaining … not wanting me to get a job, telling me to focus on football and she’s going to take care of everything else. Seeing that, I was like, ‘If she can do that, I can do anything,’ ” he added, before calling her a “superhero.”
He called her his “best coach”
Lamar Jackson and Felicia Jones in 2016.Grant Halverson/Getty
Grant Halverson/Getty
In 2016, Jackson wrote an essay forThe Players’ Tribune, detailing his rise to the NFL. Specifically, he talked about how he was able to grow into a better player, crediting his mother for much of his game.
“A lot of people helped me get better when I was young, but the best coach I’ve ever had was also my first one: Mom,” he wrote. “And I’m not saying that just because she looked out for me and encouraged me to pursue football and all that stuff. I mean she actually made me grind to get better.”
To help him build his endurance, he and his mom would run together every day, regardless of the weather. “I’ve never played in a football game that was more tiring than those long runs on that bridge,” he explained.
After running, his mom would have him practice in the backyard – even going so far as to run drills with him. “She knew what she was doing,” he wrote. “She had a vision for my football career even before I did.”
She was a college athlete
Lamar Jackson.Joe Robbins/Getty
Joe Robbins/Getty
During their backyard drills, Jones wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty either. She would regularly practice drills and do the workouts alongside her sons. What’s more, as a former college basketball player, she could keep up with them.
“People don’t believe me,” Jackson once toldESPN.“She was an athlete. She used to play basketball. She saw what we were able to do, and she’d go back there and play football with us. She was just making us tougher because she’s older, so she’s bringing power that we’re not used to feeling. We didn’t take it like anything different.”
She helps train other kids
Although she was his first coach, Jones didn’t train her son alone. Instead, she enlisted the help of local trainer, Van Warren, who started working with the NFL star when Jackson was 8. They continued until he graduated from high school with a scholarship to Louisville.
Still, after Jackson left to start his career, Jones continued working alongside Warren and helping him establish and run a free Sunday football clinic.
Their training program, The Super 8, is based on eight core values: God, prayer, faith, family, education, sacrifice, character and discipline.
She’s his manager
Since joining the NFL, Jackson has represented himself. However, he doesn’t have to negotiate alone. Instead, Jones acts as his adviser and manager.
And while many in the sports world were quick to criticize the quarterback for not having an agent, it’s a decision that seems to have paid off big time.
“I’d just rather finish it here,”he told PEOPLEof his decision to stay in Baltimore. “Win my Super Bowl here, like I said, and sky’s the limit, and we’ll see what else goes on.”
She and Jackson have a close relationship
Lamar Jackson.Patrick Smith/Getty
Patrick Smith/Getty
Jackson has a close relationship with his mom and isn’t afraid to admit it. “My immediate family is my mom. Everything goes around her. I’m a mama’s boy,” he toldThe Courier-Journal.“She’s the one who keeps me motivated no matter what. She’s driving me.”
“Whenever you need someone to lean back on, to talk to, she’s there,” he continued. “She motivates me to go out there and compete.”
He spent his first paycheck on a house for her
After being drafted to the NFL in 2018, Jackson spoke about the perks of joining the Baltimore Ravens. When asked about the best part ofbecoming a professional football player, he responded saying, “You get to buy your parents a home.”
That same year, he made good on his promise, spending hisfirst NFL paycheckon a new house for him, his brother and his mom to live in.
She stays out of the spotlight
Her son might make headlines, but Jones prefers to keep her life private.
“I have the type of mother that sits back and lets everything happen for you, lets you have the spotlight,” Jackson toldThe Courier-Journalin 2016.
“She’s always been like that,” he added. “She doesn’t really feel like she needs to be out here talking. It’s me, it’s about me playing football. So, she doesn’t feel like she needs to be a part of that right now.”
source: people.com
