Shaquil Barrett's Wife Jordanna Honors Him on First Father's Day Since Daughter's Death
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker's wife celebrated him on the first Father's Day since their daughter's accidental drowning
Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett's family is making the most of a difficult Father's Day.
The NFL athlete was celebrated by wife Jordanna and their kids — daughter Aaliyah, 8, and sons Braylon, 10, and Shaquil Jr., 11 — on the first Father's Day since the drowning death of their youngest daughter, 2-year-old Arrayah in late April.
In an Instagram post, Jordanna shared a photo of her entire family, including daughter Arrayah.
"Happy Father's Day to the worlds best Father 🩵 we love you so very much! Thanks for being the glue to our family 🩶 we love you!" she wrote.
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The athlete and Jordanna's youngest child died after drowning in a pool at the couple's Tampa Bay residence on April 30. After authorities arrived, Arrayah was brought to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead despite lifesaving measures, according to a statement from the Tampa Police Department obtained by PEOPLE.
Authorities arrived after receiving a call that a child had fallen into a pool, the statement read.
Jordanna shared a post on Instagram about the tragic news, thanking everyone who had reached out to the family during this unimaginable time.
"Thank you all for all the messages, flowers, thoughts and prayers. Our world will never be the same," the bereaved mother wrote.
"Arrayah was the apple of my eye, and my heart will forever be with hers. I love you so much, my baby. I am so, so sorry. Until we see each other again, please watch over your siblings and momma and dada," she continued. "We love you forever and ever and always. I can't wait to see that precious smile again, and just hug you so close. I wish we had more time. I love you."
Jordanna also linked to Arrayah's obituary, which remembers the toddler as having a "sparkle in her eyes that drew your attention. Her endearing nature was so kind and magnetic."
Last month, Barrett shared a photo to his Instagram in celebration of his son Braylon's birthday. In the carousel of photos, Braylon goofed towards the camera, held up a massive fish, posed with his dad and showed off some of his birthday gifts.
"Happy bday to my Bray Bray," Barrett captioned the series. "You so wild, fun and sweet. We love you so much and hope you had so much fun on your trip #10 #TGBTG."
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