Every time Dawson Deaton walks to his locker at CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, a small painting on the top shelf reminds him why he’s playing in the NFL.
The small painting was created by his 2-year-old daughter, Parker, and reads “I love you Daddy.” The “a” in “Daddy” is formed from a small brown handprint from Parker, and the rest of the letters in the word are orange to match the Browns’ colors.
Deaton, a rookie center who was drafted by the Browns in the seventh round in April, became her father when he was 20 and a sophomore at Texas Tech. She created the painting their last weekend together in May before Deaton reported to the Browns’ offseason program in Cleveland, and it gives him a pump of motivation before he puts his jersey on and takes the field each day.
“Having something here at the facility to remember her by is something that’s really cool to me,” Deaton said. “She’s far away, all the way in Texas, and I’m up here, so it’s just something to keep with me while I’m away.”
The birth of Parker changed Deaton’s life. Football had always been important to him, but becoming a father gave him a new appreciation for what the sport could mean for him — it was a way to provide Parker all the resources she would need to be a happy, healthy child. Parker drove Deaton to finish his marketing degree and become one of the top centers in the Big 12 at Texas Tech, where he was a Second Team All-Big 12 selection and team captain his last two years when Parker was a part of his life.
“My whole perspective on life changed,” Deaton said. “I’ve always been super dedicated and motivated, but once I knew that I had Parker’s future to provide and support, that’s when it really set in. It really made me grow up a lot and mature a lot.”
It also made Deaton want to spend as much time with her as he could. Whenever he wasn’t indulging in football, Deaton was watching her laugh and run aimlessly around the living room, reading a book with her, watching a movie or taking her to the…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at News…