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Fresno State quarterback Derek Carr missed two days of practice – but he had a good reason. Carr skipped out to be present for the birth of his son.
Carr’s wife, Heather, had been hanging out at practice late last week in case she went into labor, according to the Fresno Bee, even enduring contractions in the middle of some workouts.
On Monday, she gave birth to their first child, Dallas.
"I feel so blessed," Carr told the paper. "I thank the coaches for knowing what's important. I had to be there for my wife and son, to fully recover and get ready. It was definitely life-changing.
"The coaches, they know. They always tell me: 'Family first, and when you get out here, you get out here.' When I got here, I felt so welcomed. … We've got a pretty special thing going on out here."
Carr reportedly called Bulldogs coach Tim DeRuyter at a little past midnight on Sunday to let him know that his wife was in labor. His response?
"Take care of Mama," DeRuyter told the paper when asked what type of fatherly advice he offered. "When Mama's happy, everyone's happy. I know he is. I'm just really happy for them."
Carr told the paper that he would have missed as much practice as needed because, “I'm going to be dad a lot longer than I'll be a quarterback.”
The report added that when he returned to practice on Wednesday, he “admitted to being exhausted from the past two days and showed some rustiness,” but quickly fixed his mistakes and improved during the session.
Now he faces his real test – being a quarterback, student and family man.
Carr said that he’s up to the challenge, telling the paper that he’s already changed diapers a couple of times.
"Those things can get nasty," he told the reporter. "But hopefully, one day, he'll appreciate what we did for him. … No matter what anyone tells you or what you see or read in a book, nothing can prepare you for having your own child. It's great. I feel so blessed."
