Van Jefferson became a Super Bowl champion and a father all on the same night.
But the story gets better.
The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on his podcast that he ended up watching the birth of his son on FaceTime while sitting in traffic following the Rams’ Super Bowl win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Rams’ WR @VanJefferson12 was stuck in LA and Super Bowl traffic and had to watch his wife Samaria give birth to their son, Champ, on FaceTime.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 22, 2022
🎧 https://t.co/mL2yPjtN0e pic.twitter.com/FyAfcdXz6h
Jefferson explained that his wife was giving birth in Thousand Oaks, California, about an hour and a half away from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, once you factor in the usual Los Angeles traffic plus busier traffic following the Super Bowl.
“Someone had FaceTimed me and I just see a lady lying in a bed, so I just hung up the phone really fast like, who is that,” he told Schefter. “They called me back again … and it was my wife giving birth. I was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know!’
“... My kids were in the car like, mommy, it’s going to be OK. They just hear their mom screaming. It was just crazy, man. I wasn’t able to make it to the birth, no, but I got there maybe 30 minutes after.”
Jefferson had four receptions for 23 yards in the Super Bowl, before being whisked away to the hospital.
His newborn son’s name matches the moment, too, as the couple decided to name him Champ.
“It was a great day, bro. I got three prizes today. My wife, my son and the Super Bowl,” he said, per CBS Sports.