After picking up his first career CFL win as a starter, Roughriders’ quarterback Shea Patterson and his partner welcomed a baby boy into the world just two days later
Shea Patterson recently experienced a carry he won’t soon forget.
“I literally got there and then within 45 minutes, it was ‘go’ time,” Patterson said after practice at Mosaic Stadium this week. “It happened fast but it was a very cool experience.”
“It was an experience like no other,” said Patterson. “The Toronto game was unbelievable; so many emotions and great feelings from that game. It’s just a totally different aspect of it.
“I thought the Toronto game was, which it was, so special and exciting but then you go and your son is born and it’s like ‘Holy smokes’.
“It was a very cool weekend.”
And the first time he got to hold his new baby?
“There’s nothing like it,” said the proud dad.
“I got to spend less than 24 hours with him so made the most of that time and just got right back to the grind,” said Patterson. “Very blessed and very grateful for the little guy.
“I miss him a lot.”
While it’s tough being away from Jessica and Carter, Patterson is grateful for the support the pair is receiving back home in Holly, Mich.
“It’s not easy doing it alone right now,” said Patterson. “(But) she has all her family, her brothers and sisters, and of course I’m on the phone every 30 minutes with her as well.
“I’m really looking forward to being able to get them up here and get the little guy up here and be able to spend time with him.”
When he’s not on the phone catching up with Jessica and Carter, Patterson is fully immersed in his football workload.
In fact, being present — as a quarterback or as a dad — has proven to be important.
“Football, that’s my outlet and going into the office, that’s kind of my outlet,” said Patterson. “Being on the practice field with these guys and coming to work every day with these guys, that’s something that I’m fully in the now and present in.
“But then when I FaceTime him, it’s kind of the same thing. You just kind of forget about everything else and just focus on him.”
With an extra set of eyes on him this week as he gets set to make his third career start on Friday night when the Roughriders host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7:30 p.m., TSN), Patterson is no doubt feeling some extra motivation.
“I try to be the best person I can be on the field and work really hard,” said the quarterback. “Just having a son kind of flips your focus.
“It’s definitely adds an extra tick in the tank for times in the game when you need to reach down deep and make a big play or focus and lock in on the moment when things are getting crazy.
“Usually, I have a lot of things for that but then when my boy is watching and I’ve got my kid looking up to me, that’s another thing.”
And while he has an extra pep in his step being a new dad, his outlook has also changed now that he has a child.
“I love the game and that’s why I play it,” said Patterson. “I’m the ultimate competitor.
“I want to be putting in the work to be great and I want to be great. I want to be great for this organization but just putting it into perspective when you go through things throughout your day, or you get pissed off or agitated about something, you kind of get over yourself a little bit and you just realize what a blessing you have and just what a blessing life is.
“It makes you work even harder than you did before when you thought you were working your absolute most and giving your best effort but you can go a tick higher because you’re doing it for your son and that’s crazy to even say.
“It hasn’t sunk in yet, but it definitely adds another source of motivation.”
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