SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- It’s the story that stole the show on move-in day.
Nicole Samuel looked on as her son, rookie wide receiver Curtis Samuel, reported for his first day of Panthers training camp.
“If I knew dropping him off was going to do all of this, I would have stayed home,” Nicole said.
For Nicole and her son, it wasn’t even a conversation about if she’d make the trip.
“This is something I’d normally do," Nicole said. "From youth football to junior high to high school -- all his big moments -- I was always there. My train of thought was OK, get up, I’m going to go see my son off, but on an NFL stage now."
She watched him grow into a star at Ohio State and tried to make every game. But Curtis is a football player with a personality.
“He likes to sing. He likes to dance. He likes to have a little fun with his family,” Nicole said.
The Samuel family will be together now in the Queen City. Nicole and her husband had been looking to move from Brooklyn to North Carolina before Curtis was drafted.
“When he got the call for the Panthers, we were like, ‘God works,’” Nicole said.
The Samuel family is settling down in Charlotte now, but there’s still plenty to get used to after living in the big city. Nicole doesn’t drive, so Curtis drove her down to camp, her husband drove back and the rest is history.
Curtis said he wouldn’t need the car, and if they brought it back the family could use it. But what did Curtis think when he heard the story of his mom dropping him off reached the internet?
“He texted me a little bit and was like, ‘Mom what’s going on?’ I’m like ‘It’s alright.’ He’s like ‘OK. You got out there and do good,’” Nicole recalled.
It’s an easy task for this football mom, who couldn’t be more proud of her son.
“'Look at my baby,’ that’s what I say. ‘Look at my baby,’” Nicole said.