On Mondays and Fridays, Falcons’ first round draft pick Takkarist McKinley and his late-grandmother Myrtle Collins used to spend time together with Collins’ favorite things— WWE wrestling and Booker T.
After being drafted No. 26 overall by the Falcons in the 2017 NFL Draft, McKinley mentioned to reporters that WWE star Booker T was part of his story.
In an video posted by the Falcons, McKinley said Booker T reached out to him after the wrestler learned about his influence in McKinley’s life.
“He hit me up on Twitter and was just telling me, you know, ‘Continue to make your grandmother proud. I’m proud of you and just keep up the good work,” McKinley said. “And just him doing that, he didn’t have to do that, but I mean, that just shows that there’s a lot of people out there that support me and that want me to do great."
Booker T discussed McKinley and how he inspired the linebacker out of UCLA in an interview with WWE.
McKinley was raised by Collins after his parents abandoned him when he was young. Collins passed away in 2011, according to ESPN.
At the NFL Draft, McKinley brought a framed picture of Collins on stage when his name was called and credited Collins and a promise he made to her for reaching the NFL.
The remainder of McKinley’s answer about his relationship with Collins and how she still inspires him on the field can be watched above.
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