Amid all the excitement of the NFL Draft Experience came a reminder that sometimes the happiest of faces can hide the heaviest of hearts.
In the middle of the 900,000 square feet of fun, 12-year-old Kamron Daniels; his 6-year-old brother, Damien Jr.; and their mother, Brandie, ran from one interactive display to another. The boys tried the vertical jump, the 40-yard dash, and more – and it was just the medicine they needed.
“It means a lot to us, more than anybody can understand to be here today,” Brandie said as she choked back tears.
On April 21, Brandie’s husband and the boys’ father, Damien Daniels Sr., suffered a brain aneurysm while coaching his youngest son’s youth football team. He died. He was 38 years old.
“Just think that daddy is racing with you,” Brandie said to Kamron as the boys waited in line to run the 40-yard dash.
“He had these tickets already,” she said of her husband. “We eat, breathe and sleep football in our family, so this was really important to him. So I’m here to make sure my boys can enjoy something he would’ve wanted them to do.”
As soon as she finished her thought, Kamron interjected.
“I love my daddy,” he screamed with a huge smile. “He’s the best guy anywhere.”
Kamron said he wanted to talk about his favorite team because it would mean so much to his father.
“I’m a Cowboys fan, a diehard Cowboys fan, been a Cowboys fan forever,” he said, sounding much like a grown man would. “I was cheering for them when they were 4-10, when they were 10-4. They’re the best team in the entire league to me no matter what they say.”
He also shared a few thoughts about the draft.
“We don’t need a running back, we got Zeke,” he said. “We got a quarterback, we got Dak. We need a wide receiver to make up for Dez. I don’t know who we’re going to pick up, but I know it’s going to be a good pick, Jerry Jones is smart. He knows what he’s doing.”
While Kamron knows the players and knows the game, he also knows life is never going to be the same. But his love of the Dallas Cowboys is one small way his father’s love will live on.
“I love my daddy so much,” he said one more time with his huge smile concealing a broken heart.