*Von Miller may be known as one of the best players in the NFL and the man who shut down Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton during Super Bowl 50, but things could’ve been way different if his father caught wind of him playing youth football back in the day.
Recounting his childhood, Miller revealed to The Players’ Tribune that he actively kept his time on the field a secret from his dad, who wouldn’t let him play in the youth league. The Denver Broncos star linebacker , a self-professed nerd, goes on to describe himself as really skinny. So skinny that Miller’s father automatically shot down any shot of him playing youth peewee football when he begged him to when he was in fifth grade.
Realizing that he wasn’t getting anywhere with his dad, Miller appealed to the next best person, his mother. Eventually, the athlete succeeded as he confessed that he “started wearing her down” by begging her to play.
The key to Miller winning his mother over was him convincing her he would make his bed and do of all his chores if she let him play.
Now that he had his mother on his side and keeping his secret from his dad, Miller’s challenge was keeping his youth football career off his father’s radar.
“So this had to be a CIA operation,” Miller told the Tribune regarding the lengths he went to keep his on field exploits from being known off field by his dad. “I couldn’t even have my pads in the house. I’d get undressed in the back of her Suburban after practice and then we’d leave the pads in the back seat with a blanket over them.”
As time went on, it became harder for Miller to keep his youth football career undetected as he continued to figure out ways to hide his scratches and other injuries from his father as well as excuses to make for the noticeable marks and bruises on his body.
For his part, Miller’s dad did become very suspicious of his son’s claims and explanations, the sports figure stated.
It wasn’t until his 11-player team reached the championship game that Miller finally fessed up to his father about playing youth football.
Turns out, Miller not only told his dad he was playing, but his team ultimately won the championship. And the rest, they say, is history.
From the looks of it, Miller’s confession didn’t damage his relationship with his father as the parents ended up moving in with him a few years ago.
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