Jannie Jones leaned forward on her sofa and squinted at the television, perplexed by the image on the screen. It was late January 2003 and her son, Willis McGahee, was doing his first televised interview since tearing two ligaments in his left knee in the Fiesta Bowl. It was supposed to be a positive moment but what Jannie saw disturbed her. McGahee had donned a floppy black hat pulled so low on his head that most viewers probably couldn't recognize him. He also wouldn't let the cameras pan below his chest, where they could see his brace or the swelling in his joint. She saw a young man battling with shame and it hurt Jones deeply.
McGahee had displayed such behavior shortly after the injury -- he once implored an aunt to avoid calling him by name as he hobbled around a grocery store and he adamantly refused to attend the Walter Camp Awards ceremony if he had to go on crutches -- but the interview bothered Jones the most. She had raised her youngest son to hold his head high no matter the circumstances. She knew McGahee could overcome this latest obstacle, but it was also obvious he needed the kind of support she always provided him.
If you want to know the underrated aspect of the McGahee comeback story, start with Jannie, a South Florida native with a sweet voice and soulful eyes. She's been behind McGahee all the way, prodding him, encouraging him, reminding him of how far he's come. That kind of love is one reason why McGahee has turned into an instant star in his second season. His running has helped Buffalo win seven of its last nine games following a 0-4 start. His potential makes the Bills optimistic about their chances of competing in the AFC East in the near future. And his spirit has endeared him to upstate New York since his arrival.
The funny thing is, McGahee doesn't like talking about his uplifting story. He doesn't see the value in reflection or introspection. He's all about moving ahead. He says, "If you start looking back, those same bad things might happen again." Jannie, on the other hand, is a different story. She can detail every step of McGahee's journey. She vividly remembers sitting with a teary-eyed McGahee in the training room at Sun Devil Stadium, as Miami lost to Ohio State and doctors inspected her son's ravaged knee. She recalls how it felt to ride the team bus back to the hotel with McGahee, where teammates and friends stopped by to lift his spirits when his football future looked grim.
It was a long night back then but Jannie knew McGahee could weather this setback. He had been through too much in his life. When he was nine years old, he watched his 17-year-old brother Kiki die from colon cancer. McGahee saw the pain in Jannie's eyes when she carried Kiki into the house after those chemotherapy treatments. He also saw the strength and determination in his mother, the same qualities that were on display during his rehabilitation.
Jannie attended every therapy session and doctor's appointment with McGahee. She asked all sorts of questions, too. She wanted to know when the swelling would subside, how long it would take before McGahee could bend the joint easily, what exercises he needed to do at home. McGahee often implored her to stop badgering the physical therapists but she usually dismissed his concerns. "Until you get healthy," she told him one day, "This is my knee. When you get healthy, you can have it back."
Jannie also gave McGahee another bit of advice: self-pity wasn't an option. There were days when McGahee wondered why he'd been cursed with such a terrible fate but Jannie nixed that type of thinking real fast. "I told him that if he started feeling sorry for himself, he already had given up," Jones says. "So I told him to stop all that crying and go play football. Those were his choices." McGahee got the message. He worked so hard that the Bills drafted him 23rd overall in the 2003 draft. And when he had to sit during his first season and the early part of this year, Jannie was there for every home game.
She'd watch him pace the sidelines impatiently, following coaches around and asking them when he would get in. Afterwards, she constantly reminded him to wait for his opportunity. It had come when he sat behind Clinton Portis and Frank Gore in college. It would emerge again. When it did come -- against Miami back in Week 6 -- McGahee couldn't contain his glee. He bounced out of the locker room after gaining 111 yards and asked Jannie if she'd heard all the fans in Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium screaming his name. She said she was right there leading the cheers.
That's pretty much how Buffalo's season has played out since. McGahee keeps getting excited about his performances and so do the fans. He scored four touchdowns in a win over Seattle. He ran for 105 yards and two scores in a win over Cleveland last week. Overall, McGahee has six 100-yard games since replacing Travis Henry and the Bills have quietly crept back into the fringe of the playoff race at 7-6. Buffalo still needs several breaks to reach the postseason but this season has been successful simply because McGahee has arrived. At least that's how Jannie sees it. "Every time I watch Willis run these days, I think one thing," she says. "That's my boy out there. That's my boy."
Jeffri Chadiha covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated and is a frequent contributor to SI.com.
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McGahee had displayed such behavior shortly after the injury -- he once implored an aunt to avoid calling him by name as he hobbled around a grocery store and he adamantly refused to attend the Walter Camp Awards ceremony if he had to go on crutches -- but the interview bothered Jones the most. She had raised her youngest son to hold his head high no matter the circumstances. She knew McGahee could overcome this latest obstacle, but it was also obvious he needed the kind of support she always provided him.
If you want to know the underrated aspect of the McGahee comeback story, start with Jannie, a South Florida native with a sweet voice and soulful eyes. She's been behind McGahee all the way, prodding him, encouraging him, reminding him of how far he's come. That kind of love is one reason why McGahee has turned into an instant star in his second season. His running has helped Buffalo win seven of its last nine games following a 0-4 start. His potential makes the Bills optimistic about their chances of competing in the AFC East in the near future. And his spirit has endeared him to upstate New York since his arrival.
The funny thing is, McGahee doesn't like talking about his uplifting story. He doesn't see the value in reflection or introspection. He's all about moving ahead. He says, "If you start looking back, those same bad things might happen again." Jannie, on the other hand, is a different story. She can detail every step of McGahee's journey. She vividly remembers sitting with a teary-eyed McGahee in the training room at Sun Devil Stadium, as Miami lost to Ohio State and doctors inspected her son's ravaged knee. She recalls how it felt to ride the team bus back to the hotel with McGahee, where teammates and friends stopped by to lift his spirits when his football future looked grim.
It was a long night back then but Jannie knew McGahee could weather this setback. He had been through too much in his life. When he was nine years old, he watched his 17-year-old brother Kiki die from colon cancer. McGahee saw the pain in Jannie's eyes when she carried Kiki into the house after those chemotherapy treatments. He also saw the strength and determination in his mother, the same qualities that were on display during his rehabilitation.
Jannie attended every therapy session and doctor's appointment with McGahee. She asked all sorts of questions, too. She wanted to know when the swelling would subside, how long it would take before McGahee could bend the joint easily, what exercises he needed to do at home. McGahee often implored her to stop badgering the physical therapists but she usually dismissed his concerns. "Until you get healthy," she told him one day, "This is my knee. When you get healthy, you can have it back."
Jannie also gave McGahee another bit of advice: self-pity wasn't an option. There were days when McGahee wondered why he'd been cursed with such a terrible fate but Jannie nixed that type of thinking real fast. "I told him that if he started feeling sorry for himself, he already had given up," Jones says. "So I told him to stop all that crying and go play football. Those were his choices." McGahee got the message. He worked so hard that the Bills drafted him 23rd overall in the 2003 draft. And when he had to sit during his first season and the early part of this year, Jannie was there for every home game.
She'd watch him pace the sidelines impatiently, following coaches around and asking them when he would get in. Afterwards, she constantly reminded him to wait for his opportunity. It had come when he sat behind Clinton Portis and Frank Gore in college. It would emerge again. When it did come -- against Miami back in Week 6 -- McGahee couldn't contain his glee. He bounced out of the locker room after gaining 111 yards and asked Jannie if she'd heard all the fans in Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium screaming his name. She said she was right there leading the cheers.
That's pretty much how Buffalo's season has played out since. McGahee keeps getting excited about his performances and so do the fans. He scored four touchdowns in a win over Seattle. He ran for 105 yards and two scores in a win over Cleveland last week. Overall, McGahee has six 100-yard games since replacing Travis Henry and the Bills have quietly crept back into the fringe of the playoff race at 7-6. Buffalo still needs several breaks to reach the postseason but this season has been successful simply because McGahee has arrived. At least that's how Jannie sees it. "Every time I watch Willis run these days, I think one thing," she says. "That's my boy out there. That's my boy."
Jeffri Chadiha covers the NFL for Sports Illustrated and is a frequent contributor to SI.com.
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