Dead father he never knew, mother who raised him inspire UCF signee Jaylen Heyward

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Jaylen Heyward never knew his father. He always pushed away Lorenzo Jamal Bell every time the father tried to connect. But the Rockledge safety, who signed to play with UCF last week on National Signing Day, wonders now if that decision was the best choice.

He found out a few years ago that his father was killed during a shooting in Titusville in 2018. His aunt informed Jaylen of the news, but not until a few years after the incident. It left him with mixed feelings.

“So, I didn’t really know about my dad. I didn’t even meet him growing up,” Heyward said. “He died and my aunt had to tell me about his passing. It was kinda hard on me because I never got to meet him.

“He tried to meet me before, tried to reach out, but I pushed him away because I was a young kid and it was just a lot, so now I try to do everything for him. I found out that he was a ball player and he gave it his all on the field and so that’s what I’ve done ever since I found that out.”

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Heyward said he did not think his father played high school football, but he was able to watch some of his little league football clips.

“He was a heck of a ballplayer, so that’s where I got my talents from,” Heyward said. “I saw some of his little league highlights and it just was amazing and it caught my eyes.”

He wonders now if he should have allowed his father to make a connection, and still his feelings are intertwined.

“I really didn’t know how to feel, honestly,” Heyward said. “It’s just a lot of emotions built up but, you know, I didn’t really know this person, but it’s still your dad, so-called dad, the one who gave you birth. So I had mixed emotions. I was just in my own head.

“Ever since I found out about him…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dead-father-never-knew-mother-030900411.html

Author : Orlando Sentinel

Publish date : 2023-12-30 03:09:00

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