NFL Player Jokes On Competitive Nature With Mom, Says Fighting Her Was Crucial To His Success

A rookie player for the Detroit Lions shared some unusual insight into the role his mom played in his career. Terrion Arnold explained their competitive relationship, saying their rough housing aided in his success.

Arnold spoke ahead of Mother’s Day to reporters on May 10. While at the rookie camp for the NFL franchise, he revealed how his competitive nature comes from his biggest supporter, his mom, Tamala.

“Well that comes from my mom and my aunt, but at the same time just my competitiveness, detailed Arnold, reported by Pride of Detroit. ” Even as a kid, when I used to beat my mom at racing, I had to continually beat her. We used to fight when I was younger, just wrestling and playing around. Like, man, I’ll never forget one time my mom kicked my tooth out because we were going at it so hard.”

He emphasized how deep their competitive dynamic goes, even saying he would “jam her” if she lined up like one would on the football field.

“If my mom was out here right now and lined up across from me as a receiver, I would jam her into the dirt,” said the 21-year-old. “That’s just my mindset. And my mom knows that. Football-wise, that’s just the way that I think, and the way that I was brought up.”

Arnold hopes to bring that feistiness to the upcoming NFL season with the Lions. As for the mother-and-son duo, the love remains strong between the two. He expressed how “blessed” he is to have a mother that fierce and supportive. Yahoo Sports re-shared his heartfelt message to the NFL Network during the scouting combine earlier this year.

“Mom if you’re watching this right now, your son just wants to say how proud he is of you,” shared Arnold. ” I just want to say, Tamela Arnold, I love you and I’m blessed to have you as a mom. You overcame a lot and with that being said, I’m gonna continue to keep shining. Just how you raised me to be. I’ll never forget where I came from.”

The NFL season will officially begin later this year. However, Arnold is ready for all the action, due to his relationship with mom.

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