Sure, getting to the Super Bowl is hard, but you know what else is hard? Having a baby.
Katie Levitre, wife of Atlanta Falcons player Andy Levitre, went into labor while watching the Falcons take on the Seattle Seahawks in Atlanta two weekends ago. Most people would hightail it to the nearest hospital, but her team’s season was on the line and Levitre is clearly a ride-or-die type of woman, so she stayed put. The Falcons won, and Levitre safely gave birth to a healthy little girl.
This week, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn announced the game ball from that victory — which advanced them to the next round in the playoffs, eventually paving the way to the Super Bowl — would be handed to Levitre for her act of loyalty. Game balls are a big deal; they’re typically given to the player who meant the most to the win, or some other honored individual.
“We gave Andy Levitre’s wife a game ball because it was a week late, and we put ‘ultimate toughness’ on it,” Quinn said during a press conference. “She had gone into labor during the game, but waited it out. So we thought that was definitely worth the game ball.”
Of course, their new daughter Lily was the Levitres’ real prize:
Now the Falcons are headed to the Super Bowl, and Andy Levitre has a little ~conspiracy theory~ for you: his daughter has “LI” right in her name, just like, perhaps, Super Bowl LI?
With a new baby and a trip to Houston on the horizon, the next few days probably won’t be any less stressful — or exciting — for the new parents. Congrats all around.
