Nevin Lawson has taken dozens of flights home to Florida in his five seasons with the Detroit Lions, but none felt as long as the one he took in late July.
Lawson had just finished his first practice of training camp when his mother-in-law called with news he was hoping to see instead of hear: His wife, Mariangel, was in the delivery room about to give birth to the couple’s first son.
As passengers lined up around him to board the flight to Fort Lauderdale, Lawson found a quiet corner in the gate area and watched Mariangel give birth on FaceTime.