LaDainian Tomlinson

BY KEVIN ACEE

In a locker room muted by the deflation that comes with a season ended prematurely, LaDainian Tomlinson sat on a stool, head down, his face streaked with the salt of perspiration and tears.

He was, as he does every defeat, absorbing as personal the San Diego Chargers’ 20-17 overtime loss to the New York Jets this past January.

Through a three-deep throng of reporters that encircled Tomlinson, team chaplain Shawn Mitchell politely moved and bent down until he was near the star running back’s ear.

"Remember, you’re going to be a daddy," Mitchell said.

Up came Tomlinson’s head. On it, a smile Mitchell recalls as nothing short of "radiant."

That perspective had carried Tomlinson through the previous months, ever since summer when he found out his wife LaTorsha was pregnant with their first child. He shared news frequently with friends of LaTorsha’s doctor visits and sonogram images of Mckiah Renee, their daughter.

At the beginning of February, Tomlinson went to the Pro Bowl, his second in four seasons in the NFL. Friends and family saw a man fairly floating, elated by the anticipation of his impending fatherhood and the good times that defined his life.

"He was so ready to be a father," Mitchell said.

And then, on February 22, LaDainian and LaTorsha found out the pregnancy was over. LaTorsha had miscarried. She would deliver the baby, but Mckiah Renee would not spend a moment in this world.

And herein lies the story of a man who accepted tragedy the way he has accepted blessings, who turned his focus to heaven when he lost his daughter the same way he did when he signed the richest contract ever awarded an NFL running back.

"I always feel the Lord has a plan for my life," Tomlinson says.

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