We LOVE a good comeback story

The Packers’ thrilling 24-22 win over the Texans wasn’t the only comeback story on the field.

I thought about that yesterday after I accidentally asked Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud’s sister to take our picture.

I wanted to send my family a shot of how surrounded my niece Mari and I were by rowdy (though perfectly nice) Texan fans.

So, I tapped the young woman in front of me and asked her to take the shot.

“You want me in it too?” she asked, understandably confused by the assignment.

“I do because I want to show how surrounded we are by Houston fans,” I said.

She smiled, turned and snapped a few shots.

Mari, a huge and well-read football fan, nudged me.

“That’s C.J. Stroud’s sister!” she whispered.

I took a closer look and realized the Houston quarterback’s family was sitting right in front of us. We generally enjoy drama in section 117, seated right behind the visitor’s bench. Yesterday, we got to witness a family’s love.

C.J.’s mom made heart signals with her hands and sent them his way. She prayed between plays. Later, Mari and I talked about how difficult it must be for an NFL quarterback’s mother to watch a football game.

I now know that Kimberly Stroud and her daughter Ciara are far too strong to let a little NFL drama get them down. The Stroud family endured a traumatic setback when C.J.’s dad, Coleridge Bernard III (for whom he is named), was convicted of robbery, carjacking and kidnapping under California’s Three Strikes law.

The conviction sent the elder Stroud to prison for 38-years-to-life and left the previously middle class family financially and emotionally devastated. They moved into a one-room apartment in a warehouse Kimberly managed and carved out a new life for themselves.

C.J. attended middle school and high school from the family’s home base in that warehouse. He earned a football scholarship to Ohio State, was the second overall pick in the 2023 draft and led the Texans to the playoffs as a rookie quarterback. He earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors last year.

His friend and on-the-field competitor, Packer quarterback Jordan Love, also knows a lot about overcoming adversity. Three-years older than C.J. but raised in the same general area, Jordan said in multiple interviews that he has followed C.J.’s career since high school. Jordan and his family also suffered a traumatic setback when his father died by suicide when Jordan was 14-years old.

Among the thousands of people cheering for these two players at Lambeau, and the millions watching at home, I hope someone reads their stories and finds hope and inspiration to launch a comeback victory of their own.

Go Pack Go!