Photo by: Liz Parke
WVU’s Simmons Now Tackling Fatherhood
July 18, 2019 12:10 PM | Football
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – These last few days T.J. Simmons has to feel like he's been drinking water out of a firehose.
On Sunday, he became a daddy for the first time when his daughter Lielani Neveah (heaven spelled backwards) Jo was born. On Monday afternoon, he was on a private jet flying down to Dallas for Big 12 media day and then Tuesday night he was back at home changing diapers.
When it involves another human being, it's responsibility on steroids now for the one-time Alabama transfer who is now a redshirt junior wide receiver for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
"I'm definitely nervous about (fatherhood)," Simmons said Tuesday afternoon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. "I don't know too much about being a dad. I was just telling somebody earlier that I changed my first diaper ever (on Monday morning)."
So, how did that go?
"It was rough," he laughed. "I didn't wear any of it – I tried to steer clear of it – but it was definitely rough. I'm ready to take on the challenge, though."
Simmons will likely tackle fatherhood the same way he takes on those guys trying to tackle him on Saturdays in the Big 12 – with maximum effort.
Remember, he's the guy who has gotten a reputation for blocking DBs into the second row of the bleachers. That worked out well in the TCU game but it didn't have a good ending against Oklahoma a couple of weeks later.
Many of the questions Simmons answered Tuesday were about his infant daughter, of course, but he also took some about the block that ultimately led to disaster a couple plays later when quarterback Will Grier was strip-sacked and his fumble led to Oklahoma's game-turning touchdown.
Had Simmons not been called for a personal foul West Virginia would have been sitting at the one-yard-line poised to score the go-ahead touchdown.
"In high school, my coaches emphasized us being physical and blocking until the whistle blows," Simmons explained. "I've taken multiple people to the fence. A couple of games before the Oklahoma game, the TCU game, there is a clip of me taking a dude to the wall and the referee was right there as the touchdown was being scored and no penalty was called. I didn't expect the penalty to be called so I played aggressively and physically like I always do."
Different crews call things differently and the crew working the TCU game was not the same one working the Oklahoma game.
This officiating crew had warned the West Virginia coaching staff before the game that a penalty would be called for excessive physical play, which they deemed Simmons' fourth-quarter block to be, but that message never got to Simmons - for whatever reason.
"After the play I was standing around and we were all confused," Simmons recalled. "'What was the call? Why did you call that?' I don't think (the coaching staff) knew, and I definitely didn't know."
Simmons' block didn't cost West Virginia the Oklahoma game, what happened after it did, but it does demonstrate the extremely fine line between winning and losing big games in this conference.
The week prior, West Virginia couldn't hold on to a 17-point halftime lead at Oklahoma State when the Mountaineer defense made Taylor Cornelius look like the second coming of Tom Brady.
Those were two great opportunities that were left on the table.
"Yeah, we missed out on a couple of opportunities," Simmons said. "Also, that Iowa State game hurt a lot too. We really couldn't get the offense going that night. We knew we had to step up as an offense to become Big 12 champion, and I guess we got a little complacent and didn't take everything seriously."
Of course, that's something Simmons understands he can't do with fatherhood. He hasn't talked about the subject with former WVU teammate Will Grier, now playing for the Carolina Panthers, but he did observe from afar how Grier handled being a parent and a star college football player.
"I liked the way he tried to stay focused on the goals ahead of him," Simmons explained. "He knew that he had to make it to the NFL in order for his daughter to live a certain type of lifestyle. So he took that seriously and focused on the little details. He had a daughter to go home to and he was always one of the first ones in the building and the last ones to leave.
"I saw how he was whenever she came into the facility and when she was at games," Simmons continued. "Right after the game he went straight to her and seeing the smile on his face and the smile on her face, it just showed me what I need to do."
Simmons made it clear on Tuesday that his No. 1 goal is to make it to the NFL to provide for his daughter.
In order to do that, he's got to put in the time to make it happen. That means getting the rest he needs to perform at a high level and his girlfriend, Shaun Che Tormis, has been very supportive in that aspect of their relationship.
"Even before we met she knew me going to the NFL and my playing football was a big part of my life," Simmons said. "She knows she is going to have to take some of the load off of me even though I know I'm going to have to step up and be a dad and do things she might now want me to do.
"I might not get as much sleep as I want to but she's very supportive and she wants me to be the best I can be," he added.
Simmons admits these last couple of days have been a whirlwind.
"I went from having a daughter on Sunday to flying on a private jet to Dallas on Monday and being here doing interviews (on Tuesday). It feels like the life I want to live. I want to be that guy. I don't mind being the center of attention. I don't mind being in front of the cameras."
Even if that means he has to share some of the spotlight with his infant daughter.
"I don't mind," he chuckled. "She's the star of my world now so I might as well make her the star of everybody else's world."
On Sunday, he became a daddy for the first time when his daughter Lielani Neveah (heaven spelled backwards) Jo was born. On Monday afternoon, he was on a private jet flying down to Dallas for Big 12 media day and then Tuesday night he was back at home changing diapers.
When it involves another human being, it's responsibility on steroids now for the one-time Alabama transfer who is now a redshirt junior wide receiver for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
"I'm definitely nervous about (fatherhood)," Simmons said Tuesday afternoon at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. "I don't know too much about being a dad. I was just telling somebody earlier that I changed my first diaper ever (on Monday morning)."
So, how did that go?
"It was rough," he laughed. "I didn't wear any of it – I tried to steer clear of it – but it was definitely rough. I'm ready to take on the challenge, though."
Simmons will likely tackle fatherhood the same way he takes on those guys trying to tackle him on Saturdays in the Big 12 – with maximum effort.
Remember, he's the guy who has gotten a reputation for blocking DBs into the second row of the bleachers. That worked out well in the TCU game but it didn't have a good ending against Oklahoma a couple of weeks later.
Many of the questions Simmons answered Tuesday were about his infant daughter, of course, but he also took some about the block that ultimately led to disaster a couple plays later when quarterback Will Grier was strip-sacked and his fumble led to Oklahoma's game-turning touchdown.
Had Simmons not been called for a personal foul West Virginia would have been sitting at the one-yard-line poised to score the go-ahead touchdown.
"In high school, my coaches emphasized us being physical and blocking until the whistle blows," Simmons explained. "I've taken multiple people to the fence. A couple of games before the Oklahoma game, the TCU game, there is a clip of me taking a dude to the wall and the referee was right there as the touchdown was being scored and no penalty was called. I didn't expect the penalty to be called so I played aggressively and physically like I always do."
Different crews call things differently and the crew working the TCU game was not the same one working the Oklahoma game.
This officiating crew had warned the West Virginia coaching staff before the game that a penalty would be called for excessive physical play, which they deemed Simmons' fourth-quarter block to be, but that message never got to Simmons - for whatever reason.
"After the play I was standing around and we were all confused," Simmons recalled. "'What was the call? Why did you call that?' I don't think (the coaching staff) knew, and I definitely didn't know."
Simmons' block didn't cost West Virginia the Oklahoma game, what happened after it did, but it does demonstrate the extremely fine line between winning and losing big games in this conference.
The week prior, West Virginia couldn't hold on to a 17-point halftime lead at Oklahoma State when the Mountaineer defense made Taylor Cornelius look like the second coming of Tom Brady.
Those were two great opportunities that were left on the table.
"Yeah, we missed out on a couple of opportunities," Simmons said. "Also, that Iowa State game hurt a lot too. We really couldn't get the offense going that night. We knew we had to step up as an offense to become Big 12 champion, and I guess we got a little complacent and didn't take everything seriously."
Of course, that's something Simmons understands he can't do with fatherhood. He hasn't talked about the subject with former WVU teammate Will Grier, now playing for the Carolina Panthers, but he did observe from afar how Grier handled being a parent and a star college football player.
"I liked the way he tried to stay focused on the goals ahead of him," Simmons explained. "He knew that he had to make it to the NFL in order for his daughter to live a certain type of lifestyle. So he took that seriously and focused on the little details. He had a daughter to go home to and he was always one of the first ones in the building and the last ones to leave.
"I saw how he was whenever she came into the facility and when she was at games," Simmons continued. "Right after the game he went straight to her and seeing the smile on his face and the smile on her face, it just showed me what I need to do."
Simmons made it clear on Tuesday that his No. 1 goal is to make it to the NFL to provide for his daughter.
In order to do that, he's got to put in the time to make it happen. That means getting the rest he needs to perform at a high level and his girlfriend, Shaun Che Tormis, has been very supportive in that aspect of their relationship.
"Even before we met she knew me going to the NFL and my playing football was a big part of my life," Simmons said. "She knows she is going to have to take some of the load off of me even though I know I'm going to have to step up and be a dad and do things she might now want me to do.
"I might not get as much sleep as I want to but she's very supportive and she wants me to be the best I can be," he added.
Simmons admits these last couple of days have been a whirlwind.
"I went from having a daughter on Sunday to flying on a private jet to Dallas on Monday and being here doing interviews (on Tuesday). It feels like the life I want to live. I want to be that guy. I don't mind being the center of attention. I don't mind being in front of the cameras."
Even if that means he has to share some of the spotlight with his infant daughter.
"I don't mind," he chuckled. "She's the star of my world now so I might as well make her the star of everybody else's world."
Players Mentioned
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Reid Carrico | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Jeff Weimer | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
Rich Rodriguez | Nov. 29
Saturday, November 29
