Alabama football's Terrion Arnold shares heartfelt message to mom after NFL combine
After competing in the NFL combine on Friday, former Alabama defensive back Terrion Arnold shared a heartfelt moment with NFL Network reporter Stacey Dales.
He closed the interview with a shoutout to his mom, Tamala Arnold.
"Mom, if you're watching this right now, your son just wants to say how proud he is of you," Arnold said. "You had me at a young age, and you overcame a lot of adversity. People were doubting you, people were counting you out, and honestly Mom, like I always tell you, you raised a star.
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"So, zoom in right here. I just want to say, Tamala Arnold, I love you. I'm right here, the whole world is watching, and I'm blessed to have you as a mom. Like I said, you overcame a lot, and with that being said, I'm gonna continue to keep shining, just like you raised me to be. I'll never forget where I came from, Tallahassee, Florida, it's the hardest place to make it out of.
"And everybody watching this back at home, I hope you're proud of me. Because I gave it my all. Y'all tune into pro day because it's gonna be a show. Like I said, right here, the combine, I had to come out here and compete. But this was just a warmup, just kind of getting my feet wet."
Tamala would undoubtedly be proud of Arnold, who's a projected first-round pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
Arnold registered a 4.5-second 40-yard dash on Friday, while also running a 1.54-second 10-yard split and jumping 37 inches in the vertical jump and 10 feet, 9 inches in the broad jump. He also starred in the individual drills, although he thought he could do better.
"I didn't perform how I wanted to perform," Arnold said. "Because, I have high standards for myself."
Arnold, a first-team All-America selection by the Associated Press last season, finished his redshirt sophomore season with 63 total tackles, 12 pass deflections, a sack, a forced fumble and five interceptions.
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He even received a message from Miss Terry, the wife of former Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, before the combine. Arnold said he received a message from her before each game last season.
"I told her it was just like another game," Arnold said he said to Miss Terry. "She said, 'You should be blessed, you're highly favored, and just go out there and give it your all.' ... Just the encouraging words from her (were) just like old times."
Terrion Arnold interview with NFL Network
Watch Arnold's full interview with NFL Network after the NFL combine below:
There is SO MUCH GOODNESS in this conversation with Terrion Arnold. He breaks down his tape… then sends a POWERFUL message to his amazing Mom Tamala. He had me in tears… @nflnetwork ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vkSXyh7Bup
— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) March 1, 2024
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Look: Terrion Arnold shares heartfelt message to mom after NFL combine