Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has his 8-month-old son to thank for reminding him there’s way more to life than football.
During the Tuesday, July 23, episode of “The Athletic Football Show” podcast, McVay, 38, said his son, Jordan, has changed his entire “purpose and perspective.”
“When your purpose is to be the best example for how you treat his mom and the love that he feels — even though he’s not talkin’, he sure is making a lot of noises now — that smile just lights you up,” McVay told host Robert Mays. “It’s really easy to snap yourself out and say, ‘Alright, if I’m always challenging our players to model away, how about modeling away that the most important thing you can do is raising a young man and seeing him happy and healthy.’”
He continued, “As long as he treats people right, that’s what I care about.”
McVay shares his son with wife Veronika Khomyn, who he married in June 2022, just four months after McVay became the youngest coach in history to win a Super Bowl at the age of 36. (The Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 in the February 2022 championship game.)
The entire experience of becoming a parent, McVay said, has opened his eyes to how much more affection he had to give.
“I thought I knew love,” he gushed. “When you have this guy, it’s such a love and such a patience that’s continuing to be necessary. It’s awesome, man.”
Fatherhood has been so impactful for McVay that he expressed excitement for podcast host Mays to join him on the ride. “I can’t wait for you to be there,” McVay told him.
Mays — who got married last year — wasn’t quite so eager to jump on the wagon, saying with a laugh, “We’ll see. A little while now. But it’s been fun watching people I knew before they were parents become parents and the change that comes with that. You’re in that boat right now.”
McVay agreed. “That’s the same thing I’ve always felt,” he said. “I saw it change some of my closest friends for the better. I don’t even know if it’s change, as much as it’s enhanced their life and given that purpose. I’ve always watched it, I’ve always wanted to have a family.”
McVay continued, “Now to be in a position with my wife, Veronika, and my little boy, Jordan — we’ll see if I can talk her into having another one at some point, too.”
