The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Shaquil Barrett appeared in just eight games last season due to suffering an Achilles tear. The outside linebacker has just finished his practice. He is physically healthy and is set to grab the position of one of the best pass rushers in the NFL once again.
However, Barrett is still mentally struggling to heal from the blow of the tragic death of his daughter Arrayah who drowned in a swimming pool at the family home a few months ago. Arrayah was taken to a nearby hospital after drowning, albeit she couldn’t survive and was later pronounced dead.
Shaquil Barrett attempts to move on after their 2-year-old daughter drowns
Barrett was attending the Buccaneers minicamp, but he spoke to the media for the first time on Monday since his daughter died, via team transcript. The veteran shared how he his daughter used to be in the center of their life.
“It’s just her smile I miss so much, her energy, putting her to bed every night and reading her stories. She brought so much brightness, wholeness and completeness to our lives, and we most definitely have a big, big, big hole in our hearts and our lives that we won’t be able to fill. But, we’ve still got our other three kids that are helping us fill the void a little.”
Shaquil Barrett and his wife are expecting another baby girl in Feb., but nothing will replace Arrayah. “It’s bittersweet because I know she’s in a better place but I 100 percent prefer her to be here with us selfishly.” pic.twitter.com/sp3gRlqA5y
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) July 31, 2023
Shaq revealed he and his wife are expecting a new baby soon, albeit he mentioned the presence of Arrayah would give a final touch to the happiness.
“We’ve got another baby on the way that should help a little bit too, but we know it’s never going to be the same without her. It’s always sad — she would have been the best big sister, as well. It’s just bittersweet because I know she is in a better place, but I 100 percent prefer her to be here with us, selfishly.”
Shaquil Barrett creates daughter-named nonprofit to support other families
Barrett announced plans to launch a foundation in Tampa and Colorado in honor of his two-year-old deceased daughter and said his family aims to offer swimming lessons to other families through this initiative.
“We’re going to help out as much as possible with swim lessons for other families and start A.I. cameras for the families.”
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The two-time Pro Bowler shared a backstory behind the initiative and also noted this kind of activity is prevalent, but it could be dealt with necessary precautions, and this way, they can help other families to abstain from going under the loss they suffered recently.
“Because back when I was younger, I read a story where it happened to somebody and it was an NFL player, too, and I wondered, ‘How did that happen?’ But it was like a freak accident. It happens from time to time but now we’ve got all the precautions to prevent it from happening and that’s the way Arrayah Hope is going to be beneficial for a lot of families I hope.”
Shaq has been a regular member of the Bucs training camp as he said the practice session helps him to forget the loss of his beloved daughter for a while. While the void of Arrayah can never be filled, the veteran might get some peace if he has a prolific performance in the upcoming season.
