FOXBOROUGH, Mass. _ When you're in the NFL, you don't get a lot of time off in-season. If you're a parent, you need to make the most of every moment. For players with kids who live across the country, it's a big challenge.
That's why Mohamed Sanu spends so much time on airplanes.
The new Patriots wide receiver is a proud father of 4-year-old Mohamed Sanu Jr., who lives in Cincinnati, Ohio. When he has an off day, he typically jumps on a flight to Ohio the night before to take his son to school the next morning. That means Sanu usually flies to Cincinnati on Monday nights, then flies back on Tuesday and is ready to practice the next day.
"I know, for me, if I was in (Mohamed Jr.'s) position, I would want the same thing," Sanu said. "At the end of the day, that quick drive to school it means everything to him. Walking him into school means everything to him and me too. Those moments are moments you remember forever."
Raising children has its challenging moments. You can say the same about playing in the NFL. For a better part of six months of the year, players have most of their days spoken for. Those with children find themselves scrambling for any free minute to spend with family.
"There are days where my oldest son is like, 'Daddy, I don't want you to go to work today,' " said Matthew Slater, a father of three. "That's tough to hear as a dad, but you try to explain to a 4-year-old why you have to work. That time away is tough, but I feel like I'm sacrificing now for them and hoping to make a better way for them."
Take the fame and riches that come with being a professional athlete and players grow up quickly in the NFL. Add in being a father and it can become complicated, but these challenges have shaped all the fathers on the Patriots.
