Baltimore Ravens rookie receiver Zay Flowers saw his father, Willie, work hard to support him and his siblings growing up. Now having realized his dream of reaching the NFL, Flowers paid him back.
Flowers bought his dad a brand new 2023 Mercedes Benz GLE 450 as a thank you for the sacrifices he made. Video of Flowers gifting his father the car emerged on Twitter, which you can view below.
According to an article on the Ravens team site, Zay Flowers is the 11th of 14 children. His mother, Jackie Walden, died in 2005 from a head injury, leaving Willie to raise the family on his own.
To provide for the kids, Willie Flowers took a job driving a truck for a medical device company. Zay Flowers watched his dad wake up early every day and credits his work ethic that helped him reach the NFL to that example.
“I used to see him get up and go to work at 4 a.m. in the morning; he did that every day Monday through Friday,” Flowers said. “Then he would get up Saturday, wash our clothes at the wash house, cook everybody breakfast and take us to football games. Then, do the same thing Sunday, and then go back to work Monday. So, just seeing him do that, it gave me my drive.”
Flowers grew up in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and said things were tight on the family financially. But now that he is due for a big NFL pay day, he intends to help them out however he can.
Zay Flowers got inspiration from his dad growing up
Flowers has often been compared to former NFL receiver Steve Smith, who played his final three seasons with the Ravens. Smith is a player that Flowers admired growing up, in part because of his dad.
“My dad always told me, ‘It doesn’t matter about size; it’s about what’s in your chest,'” Flowers said. “He always kept me motivated and said, ‘You have to be like Steve Smith. Steve Smith was a dog.'”
Flowers went on to star at Boston College for four seasons, finishing his career with 200 catches for 3,056 yards and 29 touchdowns. He earned first team All-ACC honors this past season before the Ravens selected him No. 22 overall.
In Baltimore, Flowers teams up with quarterback Lamar Jackson. He joins a receiving corps that includes Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman, giving him a chance to make an immediate impact in his rookie season.
