Brock Huard chokes up watching mother of Max Johnson cry after injury
Quarterback Max Johnson made his North Carolina debut last night when the Tar Heels took a visit to Minnesota to open up the season. But unfortunately, it’s looking like Johnson’s season with his new team could be short-lived, suffering a gruesome injury in the third quarter that led to him being carted off of Huntington Bank Stadium on Thursday night.
Johnson spent two seasons at LSU and two at Texas A&M before deciding to take his talents to Chapel Hill to end his college career. The son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson and his mother Nikki who were both in attendance for the game and their son’s unfortunate injury. Seen in the crowd during the broadcast where Johnson’s mother had her emotions moved as she watched her son get taken off the field.
Nicki Johnson’s tears even moved the emotions of analyst Brock Huard, a former quarterback himself who spoke from his own experience on the impact injuries have that go far beyond physical pain. A well-spoken and impassioned monologue that can be seen below.
“I’ve told people before, my mom was a three-time quarterback mom. It’s a hard job,” Huard said. “It’s kind of like a pastor’s wife, it can be a very lonely place. It really is. I mean, it is such a hard position. All eyes in this building, they’re not judging a right guard or a d-end. Every eyeball judges a quarterback on every single play and moms carry that weight. They sense it, they feel it, they hear it in ways.”
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“That’s hard for me to — it’s kind of hard for me to watch, to be honest with you,” Huard said getting chocked up. “Because you also know how much her son has endured, and multiple stops, and places and, adversity to just fight for this opportunity and a devastating injury.”
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Johnson completed 12 of his 19 pass attempts for 71 yards, rushing 10 yards and a touchdown as well before his night was over. With a report confirming that Johnson’s injury was actually to his hip despite looking like a knee injury and that he is being evaluated at a Minneapolis hospital.
But despite what the verdict is on his injury, the emotional impact on Johnson and his loved ones will be immeasurable.
“You don’t always think about the human element of families and especially the moms who nurture, and grow, and provide so much support. And you can see Brad, Brad knows it,” Huard said referring to Johnson’s father in the crowd. “He’s been through battles for 15 years in the league, he knows it. He probably wants to fix it. But Mom? They empathize and they feel every single bit of it.”
North Carolina was able to defeat Minnesota without Johnson in a 19-17 nail-biter thanks to a missed field goal by kicker Dragan Kesich to end regulation. As they’ll now hope for positive news and a speedy recovery of their quarterback moving forward.