Mom’s letter hits Indiana quarterback hard. He responded on stage with the perfect tribute
Calling herself his 'very first teammate,' Elsa recalled the time she spent with her son ever since he was a toddler.
To know that your son is up there with achievers, marking one of the most important days of his life and career, is the feeling of a lifetime. Elsa Mendoza, proud mom of Fernando Mendoza, Quarterback at Indiana Hoosiers, wrote him a heart-melting letter ahead of the Heisman Trophy ceremony, per The Players’ Tribune. Noting his nomination as an outstanding achievement, the mom shared a special message along with her wishes. She celebrated her son in the most extraordinary way. Fernando, who bagged the very trophy on Saturday, December 13, also had a special response for his mom.
According to The Guardian, for the athlete, it was an honor to even make it to the nominations. Little did he know that with 2,362 points and 643 first-place votes, he would beat them all and win the trophy. Elsa's letter was written not to the Indiana quarterback but to the Fernando she always knew. She started by mentioning that he's more than a star player. He's a "teammate at heart." Calling herself his "very first teammate," Elsa recalled the time she spent with her son ever since he was a toddler. From having tough and exhausting times together to his first-ever football game. “Since you weren’t the fastest kid back then, when we signed you up for park football, they wanted you to play defensive line,” she wrote. She added how, from a young age, Fernando aimed to be like Tom Brady, to “play quarterback like him."
Every little anecdote the mom endearingly shared shaped the young man into the person and athlete he is today. Sharing a vivid experience, the mom noted how 7-year-old Fernando was dancing at a basketball game, and the jumbotron focused on him. She thought, like others, he, too, would shy away, but she was shocked. “I remember seeing you notice yourself on the screen, pause for the tiniest second, and then get that classic Fernando spark in your eye. Like you’d decided, in real time, ‘Actually, you know what? I love to dance. I want to dance. So that’s what I’m going to do,’” Elsa recalled.
Elsa mentioned that the same spark that helped Fernando discover his sense of self and embrace it is the one that carried him through his career, too. “It’s with that same conviction about who you are, and what you want, that you’ve approached your journey as a football player,” she wrote. Despite having manifold hurdles, the young man used them as opportunities to define who he was — as a son and a footballer. He exhibited his trait as a teammate for his mom when he learned of her multiple sclerosis. Without knowing it, he turned her embarrassment into her strength.
“You made me feel seen. Whether it was calling me before some big game I had to miss while in treatment, or it’s even something as silly as joking, ‘Wait, did you put on a few pounds?’ when you have to carry me up the stairs, you’ve always kept that same spark in your eye. No matter what kind of state I’ve been in, or day I’ve been having — you’ve never once looked away,” the mom remarked. Concluding her letter, Elsa noted that the hurdles will keep coming. “If there’s one thought I want to leave you with, it’s this: Your accomplishments will NEVER impact how proud of you I am. Because you are already everything I could have hoped for as a mother,” she said. He had already aced the title of a son, brother, leader, and so much more. He already embraced community, giving, and kindness, and it was more than enough.
In a video shared by ESPN, the quarterback held the trophy on stage and replied to his mother’s words. Recalling a 4th-grade story, Fernando mentioned how he didn’t like the position he was playing back then. “I wanted to leave because my parents told me I had to finish what I started. It was there that I learned to embrace a team and fell in love with football,” he said. He told his mother that this trophy was as much hers as it was his. “You’ve always been my biggest fan. You’re my life, you're my ‘why,’ you’re my biggest supporter. Your sacrifices and courage have been my first playbook and the one I’ll have by my side for the rest of my life,” he remarked.
His message has become an echo of inspiration. @kave.27 said, “I just became a fan of this speech.” @g_martuscelli added, “The more I hear this kid I love him.” @b_mabma17 remarked, “So much class and humility. This speech is what the kids need to hear. His story is an inspiration to all.”
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