Jaguars DE Dawuane Smoot breaks down delivery of daughter on ‘Good Morning America’

Jacksonville defensive lineman Dawuane Smoot goes up against some of the fiercest, strongest and toughest guys in the game on a weekly basis. But the self-described “scariest moment” of his life didn’t come on the gridiron. It was in his own home on Tuesday morning when his newborn daughter was delivered early.

His wife, Aumari, went into labor as the couple was about to leave to go to the hospital around 4 a.m. In the process of heading out of their home, Aumari fell, Smoot caught her, and with no time to go anywhere, Smoot had to help deliver the baby himself.

“I catch Aumari and hold her up and also catch the baby at the same time,” Smoot told Good Morning America. “Everything that was going through my mind was just make sure everybody’s ok.”

Thankfully for the Smoots, things went relatively smoothly from there, and Ahlani Moon Smoot was born at their home.

“She just took a big breath and she started crying, and we were like, ‘Ok, that’s great. We’re good,'” Smoot said.

The work wasn’t done there, though. Smoot called 911, and the paramedics talked him through the steps from there, including tying the umbilical cord.

“The paramedics are telling me, ‘Grab a shoestring,’ I’m like, ‘What do we need a shoestring for?'” he said. “They’re like, ‘You’ve got to clamp the umbilical cord,’ so I’m going, grabbing my shoes, I’ve never ripped out shoestrings faster in my life.”

Smoot is already having a breakout season with the Jags, earning three starts along the defensive line in the process. Now, he’s proven that he has what it takes to handle high-pressure situations, as well.