NFL draft prospect D'Onta Foreman lost infant son in breakout year at Texas

D'Onta Foreman, who as a junior running back had a breakout season at Texas last year, revealed that he played while dealing with the loss of his infant son.

In an interview with NFL Network, Foreman talked about his son, D'Onta Foreman Jr., who was born prematurely in September and died less than two months later after developing an infection in his intestines.

D'Onta Foreman Jr. was born on Sept. 16 and and weighed less than a pound. It appeared early that the baby might survive, as he spent 50 days in the hospital. But Foreman received a call from doctors before Texas played conference rival Texas Tech in early November to tell him his son had taken a turn for the worse. That game, Foreman rushed for 341 yards and three touchdowns.

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"It was my best game, best game of my life. Best game of my life," he said. "It was something about that game. I was doing it for my son. I’m leaving it all out here."

He called his mother while driving to the hospital after the game and learned that his son had died.

"I really didn't know how to feel, I was like, 'No.' I was driving and I was crying while I was driving," Foreman said. "Felt like something was taken away from me before I could even experience it."

Even while dealing with heartbreak, Foreman had his best season at Texas. He rushed for 2,028 yards on 323 carries and scored 15 touchdowns, winning the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's best running back. He is ranked the seventh-best running back in this year's draft by USA TODAY.

He never discussed his son's death during the season, saying that he didn't want anyone to feel sorry for him.

He also revealed in the interview that he and his girlfriend, Carissa McGaskey, are expecting again, and the due date is Sept. 16.

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