“I was like … couldn’t do it,” says Flaherty, the Cardinals’ second-year starter. “I’m thankful to her for that. Whenever times have gotten tough, whenever I’ve questioned myself, she could tell something was up and she would completely instill that confidence back into me. Moms are so powerful and special and they do so much for us that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to put enough emphasis on how much she’s meant to me. She’s always been a rock.”
Eileen Flaherty adopted Jack three weeks after he was born, and was a champion and “relentless” advocate for him and his younger brother Grady.