Knowshon Moreno: The Story Behind the Tears

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

They were the tears heard ’round the NFL.

When Knowshon Moreno shed tears during the national anthem of the Denver Broncos-Kansas City Chiefs in early December, cameras captured it and replayed it over and over until we were blue in the face.

After the game, Moreno simply said that the tears were a result of the culmination of emotions about the game and being grateful to play in it.

Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated dove into Moreno’s emotion more by taking an in depth look at the player’s childhood, where he bounced around from homeless shelter to homeless shelter to the occasional apartment in New York City.

"His story has been told often, but only from the age of 11 onward. Family members preferred it that way. The story always made passing reference to a father and a mother and to the construction of Knowshon’s unusual name, but only began in earnest when he was in middle school in New Jersey, living with McQueen, his maternal grandmother, outrunning his classmates in furious games of tag, hinting at the athletic skills that would carry him all the way to the NFL. But there is more. – Tim Layden (SI)"

Get Moreno’s full story in this great article. It’s well worth the read. In fact, when you seem him run on Sunday and bounce up immediately after being tackled, you’ll look at him in a whole new light.

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