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Who will win the first place in the AFC West?
Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert will face off on Thursday night. 1:45
6:30 AM
Suzanne Ekeler is late. One thing led to another after she got caught up in the Sofi Stadium parking lot talking to other parents of players, as the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Giants is still an hour away.
Ekeler, the mother of Austin Ekeler, rushes to her seat almost as fast as her son does. She moved up a section because too many people were in the way of the game, which she watches with unabashed passion and pride.
She is wearing a shirt with the number 30 on it.
"What's it like walking into the stadium knowing he's going to play?" she asked, repeating a question posed to her. Suzanne paused to think about her answer. She replied that she was just happy to be at SoFi to see Austin play and that was all she would say.
She gets ready to cheer for Melanie when she gets to her seat in the front row.
Suzanne has been cheering for a lot in this season of Austin. Heading into Thursday night's clash with the Kansas City Chiefs at Sofi Stadium, there is a lot of interest. Ekeler has rushed for 730 yards on 161 carries and scored nine touchdown, including four against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has 58 catches for 535 yards and seven touchdown in the passing game. His 16 total touchdown are tied for second in the NFL.
He and the rest of the Bolts have a chance to make the playoffs if they can win their last two games, a game against the Chiefs and a victory over Kansas City.
Austin and Suzanne have been on their way for a while.
Raising Austin right.
Suzanne has been cheering for Austin since he started playing football in high school. She was always there for Austin and his half-brother Wyett, even though times were tough for the family.
Ekeler prefers to be called a warrior. He's lived his life fighting to prove himself, fighting for everything he has. He had a difficult relationship with his stepbrother and had to do a lot of difficult chores on his family's ranch in Colorado, such as breaking the ice in the water tanks so the animals could drink.
Suzanne says that his time with his stepdad was the hardest on him. It was rough on all of us.
Suzanne Ekeler can be seen at the games wearing the jersey of her son, Austin Ekeler, who has 16 touchdown.
Ekeler has always been counted out. He went to college in Western Colorado, where he wasn't highly recruited, and then went back to high school. He was a longshot to make the team in training camp, but he persevered.
Ekeler worked hard to prove himself right, not necessarily to prove everyone wrong. He's the strongest player in the weight room and on the field according to many. The way he bowls people backs them up.
Ekeler and James worked out together last season when both were injured. Ekeler had to walk backwards to get to his home after he injured his knee and hamstring in a Week 4 loss to the Buccaneers.
He was undeterred because he was raised by Suzanne, who is a real estate agent in Windsor, Colorado, where her boys play football. The inspiration goes beyond proving doubters wrong.
Giving back.
Austin is at a middle school in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, surrounded by community leaders and students, on Tuesday, which is a sunny warm day. He donated a washer and dryer to the school to give the students a way to wash their clothes, many of which are too embarrassed to go to school.
We are grateful for the new washer and dryer that was installed at Newmarkham by thechargers,ECOSCleans andwattsStix. Thanks for your leadership, generosity and commitment to our scholars.
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The Board Member is Tanya Ortiz Franklin.
He and the founder of the Thinkwatts Foundation, a rapper named Stix, presented the laundry equipment to the school. Ekeler was appreciated by Stix.
It gives you a certain amount of confidence that you are clean. It opens your mind to different possibilities, and you don't have to worry about 'Do I smell?'
Ekeler said that it's offering them the type of security to feel comfortable in their own skin. When I heard about the project, I was happy we were able to complete it.
Ekeler built a state-of-the art fitness center at Santa Barbara High School, a school in which 70% of the students are on free lunch programs. He gave bags of goods to the Downtown Women's Center in Los Angeles, which helps the homeless.
Ekeler signed a four-year, $24.5 million extension in 2020 that included 15 million guaranteed, which he called a little overwhelming, but also a little relief at the same time.
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