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Bucs receiver breaks silence on death of infant son
Joe Jurevicius repeatedly dabbed his teary eyes.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' receiver spoke for the first time about the death of his infant son, who was born during the team's Super Bowl run and died March 24.
``There's not a day goes by that Meagan or I don't cry,'' said Jurevicius, flanked on a podium Thursday by his wife of less than two years. ``For two and a half months I went through a roller-coaster of emotions. From the highs to the lows, back to the highs.
``But I've become a stronger person for it. I think I've become a better husband for it. I think I've become a better family man for it. I think that Michael helped me become a better football player.''
Michael William Jurevicius was born prematurely Jan. 14, five days before the NFC Championship game. He died in a St. Louis hospital of complications from sialidosis, a genetic nerve degenerating disease caused by a missing enzyme needed for proper cell function.
Jurevicius missed three days of practice to be with his wife and ailing child, then flew to Philadelphia the night before the title game. His lone reception - a 71-yard catch-and-run - set up a touchdown in the Bucs' 27-10 victory over the Eagles.
A week later, he caught four passes for 78 yards in a 48-21 rout of Oakland in the Super Bowl.
Looking back, Jurevicius said there was no way he could have made it through the most difficult stretch of his life without the inspiration he drew from his son, who doctors said had just a 2-percent chance of surviving for 48 hours.
``It was a lot things to bundle up in a short amount of time ... playing in the NFC championship game, having a chance to go to the Super Bowl and becoming a father,'' Jurevicius said. ``And it's not that I'm patting myself on the back, but I don't know how I did it.
``I really don't because anybody who really knows me knows that my family is No. 1 in my life. I will drop anything to be with my family or do what's needed. ... I've said it before and I'll say it again, football was not No. 1 on my mind.''
Meagan called Michael a ``tough little guy'' whose short life helped his parents learn plenty about themselves and one another.
``I kind of know what I'm made of now. I know what Joe's made of,'' she said. ``I thought I knew before, but one good thing that has come out of this is that now we both know we're extremely strong people and we can count on each other for the rest of our lives.''
The cold reality, Jurevicius said, is life must go on.
He and Meagan plan to try to have another baby, and he agreed to break his silence on Michael's death during the news conference in hopes that ``when the season rolls around I can concentrate on football and not have to go back.''
Still, he knows there will be difficult days ahead, including what figures to be an upcoming bittersweet weekend.
The Bucs will receive their Super Bowl rings in a private ceremony Saturday night. Father's Day is Sunday.
``There's a lot of things that go into it that a lot of people don't realize and some things that people do realize,'' Jurevicius said. ``We walk into the mall and there's a child there.
``I had to go buy a Mother's Day card for Meagan. That was horrible. Or somebody wants you to take a picture with their kid because I'm a Buccaneer. There's a lot of things that go on that you do, but deep down they're not the easiest things to do in the world.''
Even before Michael's death, Jurevicius and his wife decided to get involved with charitable causes that help children, particularly those with special needs.
``There's absolutely no way I'm going to let an opportunity pass by to help because I don't want Meagan or I to ever feel like that again,'' Jurevicius said. ``I don't want any parent in this world to have to go through that.''
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' receiver spoke for the first time about the death of his infant son, who was born during the team's Super Bowl run and died March 24.
``There's not a day goes by that Meagan or I don't cry,'' said Jurevicius, flanked on a podium Thursday by his wife of less than two years. ``For two and a half months I went through a roller-coaster of emotions. From the highs to the lows, back to the highs.
``But I've become a stronger person for it. I think I've become a better husband for it. I think I've become a better family man for it. I think that Michael helped me become a better football player.''
Michael William Jurevicius was born prematurely Jan. 14, five days before the NFC Championship game. He died in a St. Louis hospital of complications from sialidosis, a genetic nerve degenerating disease caused by a missing enzyme needed for proper cell function.
Jurevicius missed three days of practice to be with his wife and ailing child, then flew to Philadelphia the night before the title game. His lone reception - a 71-yard catch-and-run - set up a touchdown in the Bucs' 27-10 victory over the Eagles.
A week later, he caught four passes for 78 yards in a 48-21 rout of Oakland in the Super Bowl.
Looking back, Jurevicius said there was no way he could have made it through the most difficult stretch of his life without the inspiration he drew from his son, who doctors said had just a 2-percent chance of surviving for 48 hours.
``It was a lot things to bundle up in a short amount of time ... playing in the NFC championship game, having a chance to go to the Super Bowl and becoming a father,'' Jurevicius said. ``And it's not that I'm patting myself on the back, but I don't know how I did it.
``I really don't because anybody who really knows me knows that my family is No. 1 in my life. I will drop anything to be with my family or do what's needed. ... I've said it before and I'll say it again, football was not No. 1 on my mind.''
Meagan called Michael a ``tough little guy'' whose short life helped his parents learn plenty about themselves and one another.
``I kind of know what I'm made of now. I know what Joe's made of,'' she said. ``I thought I knew before, but one good thing that has come out of this is that now we both know we're extremely strong people and we can count on each other for the rest of our lives.''
The cold reality, Jurevicius said, is life must go on.
He and Meagan plan to try to have another baby, and he agreed to break his silence on Michael's death during the news conference in hopes that ``when the season rolls around I can concentrate on football and not have to go back.''
Still, he knows there will be difficult days ahead, including what figures to be an upcoming bittersweet weekend.
The Bucs will receive their Super Bowl rings in a private ceremony Saturday night. Father's Day is Sunday.
``There's a lot of things that go into it that a lot of people don't realize and some things that people do realize,'' Jurevicius said. ``We walk into the mall and there's a child there.
``I had to go buy a Mother's Day card for Meagan. That was horrible. Or somebody wants you to take a picture with their kid because I'm a Buccaneer. There's a lot of things that go on that you do, but deep down they're not the easiest things to do in the world.''
Even before Michael's death, Jurevicius and his wife decided to get involved with charitable causes that help children, particularly those with special needs.
``There's absolutely no way I'm going to let an opportunity pass by to help because I don't want Meagan or I to ever feel like that again,'' Jurevicius said. ``I don't want any parent in this world to have to go through that.''