Every day of the week, his mother prepares his dinner, does his laundry, and kindly makes his bed. Then he leaves mom and dad's house on Sundays to compete against 300-pound gladiators on NFL fields. The story of Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito sets New York on fire.
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This is absolutely not an exaggerated image. This is the real life of the rookie center in one of the league's most prominent markets.
When he recently told the ESPN network that at 25 he was still living with his parents and that mom took care of everything so he could focus on football, some of his teammates didn't even know and were amazed. .
They even affectionately nicknamed him “Tommy Cutlets” because the quarterback said he loved coming home, his laundry and bed well made, to enjoy the cutlets well prepared by his parents.
This is not the reality for many professional athletes, especially since he signed a three-year, $2.7 million contract. Not an easy task in the jungle of the NFL, but compared to the average person, that's still a salary of $17,300 per week!
Getty Images via AFP
Few guarantees
Many will laugh at this, but we can understand why DeVito wanted to stay in the family cocoon. After all, the vast majority of players like him live in a rather precarious situation. The dream he saw had infinitesimal chances of coming true.
After being ignored in the draft last spring, he had to settle for an offer from the Giants, who guaranteed him just $20,000 in addition to a $10,000 signing bonus. Most undrafted quarterbacks like him simply go to training camp, collect their dues, and then find themselves unemployed. That’s the cruel reality of the NFL.
However, DeVito impressed so much that he was offered a spot on the practice squad as the team's third quarterback. When Daniel Jones, the $160 million man, and Tyrod Taylor (2 years, $11 million) fell in the fight, DeVito was called upon to strike in relief, much to the despair of New Yorkers.
A local
Since then, Cinderella's carriage still hasn't turned into a pumpkin. On the contrary, a veritable wave of DeVito madness is sweeping the Big Apple and New Jersey, where the Giants have their headquarters in East Rutherford.
First, there is DeVito's playing, which is seductive. Against all odds, he completed 65.9% of his passes, including eight touchdowns, with just three interceptions. On Monday night, to the Packers' surprise, he became the second undrafted rookie quarterback since 1936 to win three games. This performance earned him the National Conference Offensive Player of the Week award.
However, DeVito's sweet madness mostly comes down to the fact that he's a little guy to Giants fans.
The home where he grew up, owned by his parents of Italian descent, is in Cedar Grove, 12 minutes from the team's facilities.
His father, Tom, is a hard-working plumber who services the towns surrounding Metlife Stadium.
His agent Sean Stellato, also of Italian descent and a family friend, is going viral with his suit and hat that gives him a retro look, a look straight out of a B-movie mafioso film.
“Tommy is a worker. He does everything right, he works and doesn't forget where he comes from. “It's part of being a proud Italian, you never forget your roots,” the colorful agent told ESPN about his foal.
His parents show up at tailgates at Metlife Stadium, serving chops and other food to fans to thank them for supporting his son's home. You can't make this up!
Tommy Devito may be forgotten overnight, but for now his story captures the imagination. Everyone wants it to last and prove that they can be an effective starter or, at best, a reliable reserve.
While we wait to find out what he's really worth, let's just do like in the Italian movies and raise our glasses to him with a salute! (Health) felt good.
MY PREDICTION FOR THURSDAY:
Chargers 16 Raiders 20