A field pass dangling from her right wrist, Shanda Hayden offered an apology as she posed for a photo with JaCorey Shepherd on the sidelines at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m going to be taking a lot of pictures.”
Hayden wrapped her arms around the San Francisco 49ers cornerback and beamed as her husband captured the moment on a cell phone. As an academic adviser for Kansas’ football team, Hayden had been a mentor to Shepherd during his days as a Jayhawk from 2011-14.
Now, two years later — during the most challenging time of Hayden’s life — the roles were reversed.