"God's got us": Marcus Murphy plays on through pandemic while protecting and playing for at-risk son

Mississippi State's Marcus Murphy's son has a genetic abnormality

Mason Murphy isn’t all that different from a lot of three-year-old little boys. The son of Mississippi State safety Marcus Murphy idolizes his dad. And you don’t have to spend long talking to Marcus or Mason’s mother, Alicia Cherry, to realize Marcus is in love with his boy, too.

“(Mason) loves his dad,” Cherry said. “He’ll do everything (Marcus) does. If Marcus jumps off a bridge right now, Mason would do the exact same thing. He absolutely looks up to Marcus and (Marcus) couldn’t be a more perfect father for Mason. He’s the best. Couldn’t have picked a better dad.”

Fatherhood of course comes with tough choices. Dads always want to do what’s best for their children. In recent weeks, Marcus had a decision to make with Mason in mind.

That’s because Mason was born without Chromosome 7. It’s a genetic abnormality which puts him at risk from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) – where red blood cells are poorly formed and don’t function well – as well as possibly acute myeloid leukemia. Couple Mason’s condition with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and it stood to reason for the elder Murphy to consider not playing football in 2020.

The novel coronavirus has appeared to be a much greater problem for individuals with compromised immune systems and given Mason’s condition, the small guy would very much be considered at-risk. Marcus ultimately came to the conclusion he’ll indeed suit up for MSU this season. He weighed the options and decided to both be there for Mason and be there for his fellow Bulldogs on the gridiron.

“On the opting out deal, it was a concern,” Marcus said. “But again, I love football and I love (Mason). It’s got to go hand in hand on how I balance it out...I know whenever he’s older, he’s going to ask me, ‘Dad, what did you do during this pandemic?’ Or, ‘How did you handle (things) during this pandemic?’ It all comes with making sacrifices. So that’s just what I had to do – make a sacrifice to be here with my teammates and going back home to be there for him.”

Marcus Murphy holds his son, Mason. (Photo submitted by Alicia Cherry)

DOING THE LITTLE THINGS

Football coaches often preach to their players to do the little things right. Well that has become the new normal for Marcus as he plays the game and protects his child.

“From changing his clothes and taking a shower before coming around Mason, he’s doing the most he can to make sure he limits how much Mason is exposed to COVID-19,” Cherry said of Marcus. “He’s sanitizing everything. He’ll even spray his car doors down, even though Mason won’t be touching car doors, but just doing everything in his power to make sure Mason stays as healthy as possible.”

Murphy’s teammate, defensive lineman Kobe Jones, says Marcus has always had a businesslike way of doing things and maybe now more than ever, that seriousness is serving him well.

“I wouldn’t say his approach has changed, just simply because Marcus has always been about his business since day one,” Jones said. “He’s just kind of been consistent with that, of course being more cautious with who he’s being in contact with, especially outside the (football) facility. I think he’s always handled his business so I don’t think anything has changed with that. He’s been very cautious and being a man about it.”

The motivation for Marcus isn’t just avoiding the dangers of the present. It’s building towards a successful future. For every extra hand washing or sanitization session, he’s taking steps to protect his family in the here and now while also continuing on a path to provide for them in the years to come through football.

“I do have to take extra precaution, but it hasn’t been too hard because it all comes down to my focus on being here and being there,” Marcus said. “I know what I have to do in order to feed my family. But again, this is my first experience going through this pandemic with (Mason). So I’m still learning as I go every day on how to be careful with him or where I go and how I take care of myself personally, too, in order to be around him and be around my teammates.”

Mason Murphy poses. (Photo submitted by Alicia Cherry)

NO STRANGER TO ADVERSITY

In some ways, life has built Marcus to withstand this current storm. The last few years have been filled with turmoil for him and yet, he’s still standing strong.

Marcus unexpectedly lost his mother, Demetrick, in January of 2019. That came on top of learning the news that Mason was battling health issues. The hits kept coming last fall as Murphy was suspended for eight of MSU’s 2019 games. He and several others missed multiple contests due to what was always classified as a violation of team rules.

Through the tumultuous times, given the way he’s dealt with it all, Murphy has earned the respect of those around him. That includes teammates and coaches.

“The things that he’s been through in his personal life, it’s nothing but the grace of God that he’s doing what he’s doing,” Mississippi State associate head coach Tony Hughes said of Murphy. “He’s playing Division I football and being a man of the house and a man of his family and coming to work every day and coming to practice. He’s coming to class every day. He’s still a model student. He makes great grades off the field. He doesn’t let his off-field problems and issues distract him on the field. The main thing we try to do is encourage him, keep him focused and let him know that as coaching staff we love him, we support him and we’ve got his back on any issue that may be going on in his life. Once a kid knows you love him, they respond to you and I can’t say anything but great things about the way he has responded.”

Even new MSU head coach Mike Leach has quickly picked up on the resilience of Marcus.

“He’s got kind of a lot of presence and maturity about him,” Leach said. “He does have kind of an inner strength.”

Marcus Murphy greets son, Mason, during a Dawg Walk last season. (Photo submitted by Alicia Cherry)

SOLDIERING FORWARD

Unfortunately for Marcus, it appears he’s going to have to keep soldiering forward through his difficult journey with no clear end in sight when it comes to getting Mason totally healthy. And that’s not even considering the added dimension of the pandemic.

The good news is, Mason is in a good spot right now.

“He’s doing fine,” Marcus said. “He’s wonderful. You see him right now, you’d think he’s not going through anything.”

The reality is though that Mason is still in the midst of his battle.

“He recently had a bone marrow biopsy done at St. Jude maybe two weeks ago,” Cherry said of Mason. “They told us that his count and his numbers are pretty much decreasing or whatever and they sent off for some testing to see if he is progressing to leukemia or a more severe case of MDS, so we’re waiting to hear back on that.”

So things are very much in a wait-and-see mode right now with Mason. It’s possible he might one day need a bone marrow transplant, thought that’s in a holding pattern at the moment.

“Basically we’re going to see where his condition is heading before going to the transplant because that would mean he has to do chemotherapy and they’re scared to do that right now, especially with him being so small,” Cherry said.

PLAYING ON

In the meantime, Mason will get the chance to watch his hero suit up in maroon and white this fall. Marcus is slated to serve as one of the most-counted-on members of the Mississippi State defense starting with MSU’s September 26 season opener at LSU.

It’s obviously not an ideal situation for Marcus, or anyone else, to be playing in the midst of a pandemic, but to Marcus, not playing was a worse option. That wouldn’t have gotten him any closer to best providing for Mason’s future.

“(Mason will) definitely appreciate that once he gets to the point where he realizes what’s going on and how much his dad has to work hard and really put in an effort to make sure he’s taken care of,” Cherry said.

With everything on Marcus’ plate, it almost seems like it might all be too much. And to some, maybe it would be. But to Marcus, he insists he’s got some help to carry all the burdens and worries.

“It’s all a tough task, but God’s here though,” Murphy said. “God’s got us.”

Marcus Murphy holds his son, Mason, and stands alongside Mason's mother, Alicia Cherry, in an on-field presentation last season. (Photo submitted by Alicia Cherry)

BE THE MATCH

You can join the Be The Match Registry on Mason's behalf and volunteer to be listed as a potential donor, ready to save the life of any patient in need of a transplant. For information on joining on Mason's behalf, CLICK HERE.

Also, Be The Match is conducting a Pass It On campaign and is looking for football community and fans to help spread awareness in hopes of adding more people to the Be The Match Registry. CLICK HERE for the details.

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