NEW YORK — Indiana football quarterback Fernando Mendoza told reporters on Friday afternoon in New York he was “bawling his eyes” out earlier this week while reading the letter his mother Elsa wrote about their relationship for The Players Tribune.
He got a chance to read the note before it went online and got emotional all over again recalling what she wrote.
“I spent an hour or two hours reflecting on the letter,” Mendoza said. “It was one of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever read. My mom and I are extremely tight as she says in the letter; we are buddies for life. It’s a such a sentimental piece, it really shows how much she means to me.”
Elsa has battled multiple sclerosis for the better part of two decades, and the courage she’s shown in the face of the debilitating disease has fueled Fernando’s positivity and optimism. He faced an uphill battle to get to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist — he was a two-star recruit who almost ended up playing football at Yale — but never let those hurdles derail his dreams.
“I see her fighting every single day, and I know there’s no excuse to ever have a bad day,” Mendoza said during the season.
Coming out of the Big Ten title game, Indiana fans showed their appreciation for everything Mendoza has done for the No. 1 Hoosiers with a push on social media for donations to the fundraising campaign he started during his time at Cal to benefit the MS Society.
The fan base helped raise just shy of $30,000 in a week’s time.
“It’s been heartwarming,” Mendoza said. “It’s something my teammates have seen, it’s something my family has seen and really appreciated.”
One of the reasons Mendoza was so excited to make it to New York as a finalist for college football’s most prestigious award was his ability to spotlight the cause and his fundraising efforts on a national stage.
“My mom doesn’t want for anybody to feel sorry for her because she is a warrior and passionate, but I want to raise that money for people in need,” Mendoza said. “I believe it’s my platform, the reason God put me here I believe to help others and help the community. That is a cause really strikes deep in my heart.
Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: IU football QB Fernando Mendoza gets emotional talking mom’s letter
Reporting by Michael Niziolek, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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