Bucs awards game ball to GM via FaceTime after his father’s death
Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht missed their 55-40 win against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon.
Jason’s father Ron, who was 80, died suddenly on Saturday in Nebraska, So Jason left the team in Los Angeles to fly back to Nebraska and be with his family.
Love you Dad pic.twitter.com/FL6n8t6Lbg
— Jason Licht (@jasonrlicht) September 30, 2019
So after the win, Bucs coach Bruce Arians FaceTimed Licht in the locker room. He had a surprise for his general manager.
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“I got Jason on the phone. This is the game ball for him,” Arians said, setting off a round of applause in the locker room.
Game ball goes to GM Jason Licht, whose father suddenly passed away last night.
A huge Nebraska fan, it’s no coincidence that all three Nebraska connections: Suh, David and Barrett (Omaha native), all made huge defensive plays.
This ones for you, Jason. pic.twitter.com/TsHsabUTJy— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 30, 2019
To make the day even more memorable for Jason, who has been with Tampa since 2014, his father’s reported favorite Nebraska player of all time had a huge outing for the Bucs. Ndamukong Suh — who played at Nebraska from 2005-09 — scooped up a fumble after a strip-sack and ran it back 37 yards for a touchdown in the final two minutes of the game, sealing the win for Tampa.
👍🏻 moment in the @Buccaneers
locker room after the game. The team FaceTimed w/ GM Jason Licht, who lost his father suddenly yesterday, and celebrated the win.
Licht’s father, who fell ill at yesterday’s Nebraska game, had an all-time favorite Husker...
Ndamukong Suh. @gmfb— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) September 30, 2019
“He means the world to me,”' Jason said of his father earlier this year, via the Tampa Bay Times. “He’s been there through thick and thin. He’s my best friend. He’s battled his own adversity. He’s shown me first hand how to fight through it. He’s a great husband, father ... everything rolled into one.”
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