For Tarvaris Jackson II, seeing the practice field at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center for the first time in ten years brought back a lot of memories.
Tarvaris II, also known as T.J., watched his father, an NFL backup quarterback, fulfill his dream of being a player when he was a young boy and enjoyed the sights and sounds of practice with him.
On Wednesday, 16-year-old T.J. returned to Seattle and was back on the field he knew so well. He recalled the feel and appearance of the practice fields beneath his feet and recognized several faces from his time as a player, including Pete Carroll, Bobby Wagner, and Tyler Lockett.
T.J. remarked, “Everything started to look familiar,” following practice. “I had a great sense of comfort. Talking to everyone as though I had known them for a long time.”
Make-A-Wish, an organization that grants children facing life-threatening illnesses wishes that can change their lives, arranged T.J.’s trip to Seattle. T.J. had seven surgeries as a result of a cardiac ailment that necessitated the installation of a pacemaker when he was eight months old. T.J. is on his fourth pacemaker at the moment, and he will require another one in the coming years.
When T.J. was given the opportunity to make a wish, he wanted to get back in touch with the team that his father had won the Super Bowl with ten years prior.
Even though T.J. and his father were unknown to most players on the field, the team for whom his father started in 2011 and served as Wilson’s backup from 2013 to 2015 welcomed him. Although Jackson’s NFL career lasted ten years, that period in Seattle was only a portion of it. Throughout his four seasons as a player, after his career ended, and until his untimely death in a car accident in 2020, he made a lasting impression on everyone he came into contact with.
Pete Carroll, the coach of the Seahawks, said, “It was lovely seeing him; he’s a beautiful kid.” T-Jack meant a great deal to us in a variety of ways while he was here. He was an excellent competitor, teammate, athlete, and all around nice guy. Everyone cherished him. Huge smile, so full of life.
Although it is unfortunate that he is no longer with us, it was enjoyable to witness his son’s manifestation of him. He has a good fastball, a lefty with good hose ability, and a lot of other awesome attributes. He also brings the ball over the plate pretty nicely.
He showed them some serious juice when he was able to get between the players and break them down. He made them glow. He was very cool about it and full of energy. For us, as well as hopefully for him, it was a truly wonderful moment.”
T.J., like his father, has a live arm, as Carroll mentioned, and he demonstrated this on the field when Carroll allowed him to toss a couple passes early in the walkthrough practice. However, T.J. mainly uses that arm on the baseball diamond as a left-handed pitcher for Prattville High School in Alabama. This is because he needs to wear a chest plate when playing baseball due to a heart condition that prevents him from participating in contact sports.
Before the practice session began, T.J.’s mother, Ebone McGilvery, watched as he threw passes to his traveling companion, Ashton, on the field. After watching practice, the group had the opportunity to speak with the players and get autographs. In a very special moment, T.J. was allowed to break up the team huddle to end practice. They will go to Seattle’s Thanksgiving night game against the 49ers on Thursday.
“It’s been amazing, as I am aware of the happiness it has brought him,” McGilvery remarked, observing her son as he took everything in. “From the moment we arrived here last night until the end of our activities today, you could see the joy on his face. When he came out here today, he didn’t stop grinning. It’s been fantastic. He’s been approaching the guys with a “Hey” as if he’s known them for years. This has been really fantastic. He will always remember this for the rest of his life.”
Jackson’s impact on the Seahawks during his tenure in Seattle was further reinforced for McGilvery by the way her son interacted with the team ten years after his final visit.
“Just with the guys, how they’ve embraced him, just knowing how Tarvaris was, he was a loving guy,” she continued. Everyone was his friend; he never met a stranger, and T.J. embodies that very quality. He might say to himself, “That’s my best friend,” when he meets someone that day. I can tell they have a special bond because of the way they have all embraced him.”
Jackson demonstrated a great deal of resiliency during his playing career to play at the FCS level for ten years after graduating from Alabama State, an HBCU.
Jackson played through a large portion of the 2011 season with a torn pectoral muscle in a moment that inspired teammates that season and beyond. T.J. gained a lot of insight from his father’s perseverance as an athlete, which has helped him overcome numerous health obstacles in his early life.
“That mentality really helps, because with everything I’ve been through, just keep going, do everything you can to keep trying your best, it really helps me with life,” said T.J. “Never let anything keep you down for too long, just keep going and keep doing the best you can, be the best person you can be and be the best player you can be.”
Along with his dad, T.J. has a smile that brightens any space, including practice fields. This smile was evident throughout Wednesday’s visit.
“He truly is a unique child,” McGilvery remarked. “He consistently maintains the mindset of ‘I’m happy,’ despite everything that has happened to him. I am not going to show it, but it is something I am going through. I’m just going to let things happen and roll with the punches.
He hated getting blood drawn and having needles stuck in him every time he visited the hospital, but after five minutes he was fine. He genuinely just rolls with it, going through the typical high school experience of being a kid, dealing with issues at school, playing baseball, and still worrying about his heart.
He simply exudes happiness all the time.
“He smiles through it all.”
Leave a Reply