Jeff Okudah Fueled by Childhood Discussions with Late Mother

One week into his freshman season at Ohio State, Jeff Okudah's mother passed away from lymphoma

John Maakaron | May 10, 2020

Lions rookie cornerback Jeff Okudah is just the type of player the organization is looking to build around.

Entering his rookie season, Okudah will have experienced challenges previous draft classes did not have to worry about.

One aspect of Okudah's personality will help him easily overcome initial hurdles that are faced.

His work ethic.

“I think just from seeing my mom go through whatever she was going through at the time with chemotherapy. While she was doing chemotherapy, she was still in nursing school," Okudah said at his introductory press conference with Detroit media.

"Just seeing that, it just instilled a work ethic just knowing that you get out what you put into things. I’m always trying to put my best foot forward and strive to be great.”

Okudah has endured and survived plenty of struggles in his young life, but none more heartbreaking than the death of his mother in 2017.

Six days after arriving at Ohio State, Okudah's mother, Marie, lost her battle with lymphoma.

In a 2017 article in The Players Tribune, Okudah said he relished the opportunity to share his mother's story with NFL teams.

He used discussions with his mother as fuel to vision the journey he would soon embark on.

Through hard work and dedication, Okudah became the first cornerback drafted in the top five of the first-round in 23 years.

“I know she would’ve been in tears. Honestly, she didn’t really understand football like that just being born in Nigeria, but she knew what made me happy," Okudah said after being drafted.

"So, I think just her seeing me smile, me being really excited, I think that it would just bring her to tears. She saw all the hard work. It was a moment that I was really just embracing each other in. I’m looking forward to getting to be myself tonight and just have a talk with her, a long talk with her.”

Evaluating Analysts' Projections for Lions' 2020 Win Total

All Lions Mailbag: NFL Season Win Prediction, Players' Roles and More

Lions' Tracy Walker Mourning the Death of Cousin Ahmaud Arbery

Published May 10, 2020

JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!