When Gerald McCoy was interviewed by Deion Sanders just after he bear hugged NFL warden commissioner Roger Goodell, one of the first things out of his mouth were the memories of his mother, who passed away nearly three years ago.

The Mad Twitterer of the St. Petersburg Times caught up with McCoy in New York and documented how McCoy discussed more thoughts of his deceased mother, who saved his football career before she passed.

In fact, it was Patricia who talked Gerald from quitting football and leaving Oklahoma as a homesick freshman.

“My mother was a people person,” McCoy said. “She loved people and the fire and drive that I have came from my mother,” McCoy said. “She’s the one who taught me to be a leader not a follower and be the head, not the tail. That’s what I tried to be. When I tried to quit my freshman year at Oklahoma, she’s the one I talked to and she told me, “We don’t quit in this family. If you quit, I’ll kill you.”

The more Joe reads and hears about McCoy, the more Joe likes this guy. Seems like a good guy. Nice job Mark Dominik.