Demario Douglas Issues Emotional Revelation After Patriots Win

It wasn’t pretty, but the New England Patriots grinded out a 24-23 victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 on Sunday afternoon. Among the stars of the game was Demario Douglas, who led the way with 100 yards and a touchdown on four catches for the Patriots.

With Kayshon Boutte being forced out of this game early due to a hamstring injury, Douglas stepped up and paced New England’s wide receiver room against Atlanta. Without him, chances are the team doesn’t win this game.

As it turns out, Douglas was playing this game with a heavy heart. After the game, an emotional Douglas revealed that his uncle had been shot and killed on Saturday night, which made his performance against the Falcons even more impressive.

“Yesterday, my uncle got shot and killed last night,” Douglas said in an interview with Cameron Wolfe of NFL Network. “This whole morning, my mood was just different. I couldn’t hold my tears … Every time somebody said keep your head up, my eyes kept watering up. I just know he was here with me today. First day in heaven, he was working.”

After a slow start to the season, Douglas has come on strong as of late, and he now has 18 receptions for 262 yards and three touchdowns on the season. If Boutte is forced to miss time moving forward, chances are Douglas’ role on offense will only continue to grow.

Douglas will surely be given some time throughout the week to grieve this crushing loss. Once he shifts his attention back to football, he will begin to prepare with the rest of his team for their upcoming matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.