On Sunday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a match against the Chicago Bears with a score of 27-17. Shaq Barrett made a touchdown by intercepting Justin Fields’ pass from the Chicago 6-yard line. This happened with only 2 minutes and 12 seconds left in the game, securing the victory for the Buccaneers.
Shaq Barrett dedicated this season to his late two-year-old daughter, Arrayah, who died in April in a pool drowning accident
On Sunday, Barrett scored his first career NFL TD and then blew a kiss to the sky ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7INVkrqfhY
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 18, 2023
For the past four months, Barrett and his family have endured immeasurable grief following the tragic loss of his 2-year-old daughter, Arrayah, in a pool drowning incident at their Tampa home on April 30. But in that moment, as his teammates gathered around him in celebration, the pain momentarily subsided. It was then that Barrett blew a kiss to the sky, sending a message to his “ray of sunshine,” as he affectionately called her.
The two-time Pro Bowler dedicated the game-changing play to Arrayah, expressing his love and longing for her after the score.
Extremely touching: Arrayah Barrett, #Buccaneers star pass rusher Shaq Barrett's 2-year-old daughter, sadly drowned to death in April and he has severely struggled since, but on Sunday he dedicated his first career touchdown to her 🙏❤️
“Literally, last week before the game, I… pic.twitter.com/2ANUbtSwiu
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 19, 2023
“I told her, ‘I love you, miss you, and wish she was here,'” Barrett shared after the game.
Head coach Todd Bowles expressed deep admiration for Barrett’s resilience, acknowledging the immense difficulty he has faced. “It’s unbelievable. You can’t even fathom going through something like that,” Bowles said of Barrett. “To see him go through it and come out on the other side—and I’m sure he still has days—but to play like he’s playing right now, to be where he is right now is unbelievable.”
#Buccaneers LB Shaq Barrett dedicated Sunday’s pick-6 of Justin Fields to his late daughter.
"I told her, 'I love you, miss you and wish she was here,'
Barrett decided to also dedicate the 2023 season to his 2-year-old daughter Arrayah, who passed in a drowning accident on… https://t.co/6WJbjJW6Ep pic.twitter.com/WsyjjgGPn4
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 18, 2023
Returning to the football field hasn’t been a straightforward journey for Barrett. He openly admitted to grappling with his emotions before the Buccaneers’ season opener against the Minnesota Vikings.
“I was struggling real bad. I couldn’t stop crying,” Barrett revealed. “I called my wife, and the coaches checked in on me. But then, out of the blue, everything just went away, and I was able to focus on the game. My wife says people pray for me. So I actually felt like the wave of emotions just slid to the side, and I was able to actually focus. I felt the power of prayer.”
Amidst all the struggles and pain, Barrett recognized the significance of the moment on that Sunday when he crossed the goal line. He firmly believes that he received some divine assistance from above as he battled through several defenders to score.
Shaq Barrett has been very open about his faith in the Lord. He's been even more open about it since the tragic loss of his daughter.
He was asked how his faith has helped him through the healing process. Barrett proceeded to take us to church. pic.twitter.com/Sr9SqOEsNf
— David Schiele WTSP (@Deacon_Schiele) September 17, 2023
Remarkably, it marked the first touchdown of his nine-year career.
“I believe so for sure,” Barrett affirmed. “And then just talking, talking to God all the time. I just know He doesn’t give us anything more than we can handle, even though it felt like He did for sure. He said He’s just setting us up for something—can’t say better, because what can be better than having my baby girl here?
“But He’s setting us up for something that we need, and I’m just ready for it, and I’m waiting for it. I’m going to believe in Him and believe in this plan for sure. And I do feel like it was divine intervention to be able to just get that spotlight for my baby girl.”
