Shelby Harris had an incredibly busy day on Sunday with a game against the Los Angeles Chargers and the birth of his child, but the Denver Broncos made it a lot easier on the veteran defensive end.
Following their tough 19-16 loss to L.A., the Broncos arranged for a private plane to fly Harris back to Denver so he could be there for the birth of his fourth child. Harris learned hours before kickoff that his wife Stephanie had gone into labor, and the team offered to fly him home right then. Harris chose to play, however.
“It was something we discussed and he came to the decision — we had a flight for him, made an arrangement for him to miss the game,” Broncos head coach Vic Fangio told reporters, via Mike Klis of 9News. “He chose to stay and now we have him on a private flight that the club’s picking up for him, and he’s going to get back a couple hours hopefully before the rest of us.”
Harris did end up flying back before the rest of the team, and Klis later said the 29-year-old made it home in time. The plane arrived in Denver at around 9 p.m and Harris’ son, Shelby Lamar Harris Jr., was born at 10:48 p.m.
Harris actually played a big role in the game, as he deflected two passes and recorded a quarterback hit.
This isn’t the first time an NFL player has used a private plane to both play in a game and be there for the birth of a child. It’s nice to have those luxuries, and it’s classy of the team to offer them.
