A FATHER’S EXAMPLE
Despite the demands of life in the NFL, Joseph always there for his kids like his dad was for him
A bad day can be erased be pretty quickly for Johnathan Joseph.
The 14-year NFL veteran has had plenty of those in his career.
From tough losses to deflating injuries to team turmoil, the Texans cornerback manages to stay positive thanks to his children.
The father of three grew up with a dad who came home from work every day and spent quality time with his son.
When Joseph’s first son, Jay’Vion, was born 15 years ago he knew he wanted to be the same way with his children as his father was with him.
“He was always the father I needed when I returned home from school every day,” Joseph said. “From him, I learned to try to be the same person every day, whether or not I had a good or bad day. If my kids have questions or if they want to talk or just hang out, I just try to be there and make myself available for whatever they need.”
Joseph’s father, John, died in 2014.
“He was always there for me,” Joseph said. “I try to do the same.”
It’s not always easy.
Being an NFL player is grueling. The schedule is demanding. There are no guarantees year to year that a player will still be able to perform at a high level.
Joseph has been a father since he entered the league in 2006. Along with Jay’Vion, who lives in North Carolina, Joseph has son Johnathan, 11, and daughter Danae, 4, who live with him and wife Delaina in Houston.
He learned early in his career how to balance fatherhood and his life in the NFL.
“It can be hard,” Joseph said. “Really hard. When you are young and you are entering a profession where you want to make a name for yourself and make your way, it’s hard to focus on anything else.
“At the same time you have to satisfy your kids, your family.”
Joseph always thought about his father as he figured out how to excel on and off the field.
“You are a father first,” Joseph said. “That’s it. And for me to do the best I can for my kids, I have to work hard at my job. I know I am in a position to provide for them, and that makes me want to work really hard at my job, too.” Time management is key.
His schedule changes throughout the year. But in season, he’s usually up before the sun rises.
There are workouts, practices, meetings to be had with the Texans.
In addition to everything he has to do with the team, he’s also a hands-on dad.
Joseph has coached his sons’ football and basketball teams.
“I’ve learned that your kids don’t listen to you at all when you try to teach them something,” he said, laughing. “But really, it’s really fun. I am not really hard on them. I want to them to enjoy it. Seeing them grow and develop brings me so much joy.”
His daughter really keeps him on his toes.
From her swimming lessons to dance recitals to concerts, she’s active and bursting with personality. Danae has accompanied her dad to press conferences and team events.
She often steals the show. “She’s a little ball of fire,” Joseph said. “I don’t know if I have a ballerina, a rock star, a gymnast, a quarterback with her. I don’t know what I have on my hands with her. Every day is different. My other two boys laugh at her — it’s one big love fest.
“I can’t wait to see what all of them end up doing.”
And Joseph will be sure to find a way to be a part of it all.
He continues to find ways to focus on his career and be an active father even when it seems like there aren’t enough hours in the day.
He credits the lessons he learned from his own dad and the support of his wife and his children for making it all work.
“You figure it out,” he said. “You miss a lot, a lot of their football games, their school activities because you are putting a lot of time in over here, so when I am home with them, it’s important to me to be really involved and engaged.”
And sometimes that means being able to come home and put aside bad days so he can be a positive influence to his children.
“When I get home after a good day or a bad one, they light me up,” Joseph said. “They have my attention. That’s important to me.”
Joseph is thrilled to be entering his 14th season in the league and his ninth with the Texans.
It’s been an interesting few days for the team, which is going through some big changes in the front office.
Joseph doesn’t let it affect him much. He learned about general manager Brian Gaine’s firing on the radio and sent a few texts and asked a few questions, then quickly moved on.
For Joseph, getting worked up about anything out of his control isn’t worth the time it would take away from what’s important to him.
First, his children. Second, his career.
“I have clear priorities, and I try to remember that all the time,” he said.
“This is a tough job, a tough business, and I take my hat off to anyone out there who is doing both — being a father, having a family, and playing in this league. I love being able to do both. I am so thankful that I get to play the game I love and be a father. It means everything.”