FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- When rookie New England Patriots offensive guard Shaq Mason is asked about role models who help him early in his life, he said it was his mother, Alicia McGuire.
“She was a single parent and raised me,” the soft-spoken Mason said. “I learned about strength and to always keep pushing. She’s the strongest woman I know.”
McGuire was a big fan of professional basketball in 1993 when she had her son, which helps explain his unique name -- Shaquille Olajuwon, a mix between Shaquille O’Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon. Now McGuire has a ticket to any Patriots game she wants to attend, and she hasn’t missed many at home this season as her son has quickly emerged as a starting-caliber player in New England.