Commanders Rookie Chris Rodriguez Jr. Motivated by Late Mother: 'She's Proud of Me'

Stephanie Thornton, the mom of Washington Commanders rookie running back Chris Rodriguez Jr., passed away in 2022 after battling Lupus.
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When Chris Rodriguez Jr. was drafted by the Washington Commanders in the sixth round, he was surrounded by 50 friends and family members.

“Man, it's a lot," Rodriguez said. "I tell you that it's a lot. It's a lot of people in there. I got my dad, aunts, uncles fiancé, her family, cousins. Man, you go down the list, it's a lot of them. If I could pinpoint a few, I would, but it's none that stand out more than the other.”

However, there was one person's absence that stood out, his mom Stephanie Thornton.

Thornton passed away in January 2022 after a battle with Lupus and the Commanders rookie spoke about her impact in his life in his post-draft press conference.

“It means a lot," Rodriguez said. "I tell everybody, like my mom, she's my biggest motivation in life. It's hard I'm not sharing this moment with her, but I know she's looking down. She's proud of me and I continue to make her proud.”

Someone that can relate to Rodriguez's situation is Commanders head coach Ron Rivera, who lost his mom Dolores during the season.

After beating the then-undefeated Philadelphia Eagles on Nov. 15, two weeks after her passing, Rivera was emotional during a speech to the team.

"My mother would have been proud," Rivera said as he held back tears.

With the Commanders, Rivera has found ways to build team camaraderie and togetherness, and it looks like he has that with him and Rodriguez as their moms look down.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.