Rams fans watched rapt as Andrew Whitworth gave his all on the field and helped clinch the win for Los Angeles at SoFi Stadium Sunday.
At least most fans were glued to the action.
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But a photo from the stands revealed that one ticket holder, who wore his No. 77, wasn’t even looking at the game — his youngest daughter, Katherine.
The NFL’s Man of the Year for 2022 paid a visit to TODAY Monday morning and reacted to the now-viral photo that shows the rest of his family taking in the game, while the 7-year-old's full attention is on the book in her lap.
“Oh, it’s special,” Whitworth told co-anchors Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb. “She’s the fourth one and, you know, the hardest one. That’s her.”
The 40-year-old tackle beamed while speaking about Katherine, because while the casual observer might simply see an amusing and relatable photo of a disinterested kid, he sees something else in it.
“She's so cool," the proud dad explained. "She’s just her in every moment, and that’s what makes her special. You know what? It’s that fourth one that’s just the strongest, the toughest and who-she-is the most, out of all of them."
He added, "That’s why we love her so much."
Whitworth was surrounded by a lot of family love at SoFi Stadium after the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20.
His kids rushed the field to help him celebrate when the big game was over.
And even another player's child got in on the celebration.
Whitworth picked up Hunter Hope Stafford, the 3-year-old daughter of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, and swapped big smiles with the toddler.
As for whether any of the kids will get a chance to watch Whitworth play again, that’s still up in the air. Whitworth is one of the oldest players in the NFL, and as such, he's considering retirement.
When asked directly about that possibility, he said, "You know, I don’t know." But what he said next made it seem like he might have his mind made up.
"What a special way to go out," he said of winning both Man of the Year and the Super Bowl.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
