As an offensive lineman, Reggie Weldon has two primary jobs: Protect the quarterback on pass plays, and push the offensive line forward on run plays.
But Weldon has much more to take care of once he steps off the football field. His mother, Marilyn Bilbo, had a heart attack and died while on vacation with his two younger brothers.
The death uprooted Weldon’s plans and cast him as a father figure for his brothers, ages 5 and 7. “I had to grow up a lot quicker than I wanted to,” he said. “I was forced to be a role model earlier than I wanted to be.”
But Weldon has taken his situation as a challenge, managing things one day at a time and leaning on the support of his team and coaches.
LaGrange head coach Jules Sullen in particular took him under his wing, inviting Weldon to his house to celebrate Christmas.
“He’s the kind of kid you want your daughter to date or one day to marry,” Sullen said. “As long as I’m here, I’m going to do my best to take care of Reggie, and I think the other coaches can say the same as well.”
Football has become therapy for Weldon — a crude simulation of his life that allows him to put his values into physical action.
Less than two weeks into last season, he was told he would no longer be a noseguard, but a starting lineman.
“Coach Sullen came up to me and told me I had to play offensive line,” Weldon said “He came up to me on Wednesday and told me I was starting Friday, and it was just on from there.”
Weldon excelled at the new position, earning All-District 3-4A honors and a new family in the process.
“The team has helped out by being an extended family for him,” said Demeka Bilbo, Weldon’s aunt and primary caretaker. “It’s kind of therapeutic for him as well. It’s awesome. They really need that extra support to try to fill that void that they have with the loss of a mother.”
And Weldon’s accomplishments on and off the field haven’t gone unnoticed. Bilbo said he has been a wonderful role model for his brothers, who brag about him to their friends and pee-wee football teammates.
“They look up to Reggie a lot,” she said. “They’re very proud of their brother. They kind of look at him as a celebrity already. They go to the games, and if he’s somewhere they get overly excited.
“He teaches them how to be boys or even a man in the future. He’s a positive influence with what he’s doing. They want to be like him.”
Bilbo said Weldon has handled the last year with more grace than she ever could have expected.
He’s never complained or asked why this was happening to him, she said. He simply does what needs to be done, whether that’s mentoring his siblings, going to football practice or taking care of school.
“He just seems to know how to push forward through whatever situation he’s in. He handles problems and pain well,” Bilbo said. “He has a lot of wisdom.”
And that’s something Bilbo knows his mother would take great joy in knowing.
“She worked for all of his life, and I know that she would be extremely proud of what he has become and what he’s doing,” Bilbo said.
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