How Gee Scott Jr. found support, formed bond with NFL star receiver

COLUMBUS — Gee Scott Jr. has always seen similarities in his game at Ohio State to an NFL legend.

He has been told countless times in his life that he plays like future NFL Hall-of-Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald, certainly a compliment for the second-year receiver-turned-tight end for the Buckeyes.

But the similarities began to extend well beyond the football field this offseason, when Scott unexpectedly lost his mother.

Weeks later, Scott found out Fitzgerald lost his mother at a similar age, years before he went on to have an incredible NFL career. Through mutual friend and all-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman, Scott and Fitzgerald have formed a bond in the last few weeks

Fitzgerald has helped Scott through one of the toughest times of his life and become a mentor for the Ohio State tight end trying to find his way at a new position while grieving and coping with the loss of his mother.

“Just seeing his career after what he had went through at the same age as I did and then seeing what he continued to still do,” Scott told Lettermen Row on Friday morning after Ohio State practice. “I think when you go through something alone, and you have no idea what’s on the other end of something, it could be a lot more scary. Or if something that happens in your life, and there’s some kind of adversity that you don’t know anyone who has gone through and you have no idea where it’s going, it can be very challenging and discouraging. But having that happen to me and have been able to have a conversation with somebody that has actually gone through that and actually still portrayed greatness and still is potentially going to be a Hall of Famer, I mean, it just goes to show me that I can do it, too.

“And so it gives me hope.”

While Scott has been mentored by Fitzgerald and coping with a loss, he’s also in the middle of a huge transition into the Ohio State tight end room after leaving the wide receiver room. His big frame and body allow him to become a versatile weapon in the Buckeyes offense.

He continues to use football at Ohio State as an outlet.

“I think something that I had to understand is just doing the things that I know she want me to do,” Scott told Lettermen Row. “It’s very easy to be down and I did spend a good amount of time being down. But then there’s that part of me that just remembers who she wants me to be in this world. And so, that’s where the light comes from.

“And I want to continue to shine that light as bright as I can.”

Of the field, Scott certainly does that for the Buckeyes, keeping his smile and personality on display everywhere. And in his new role at tight end, he is beginning to flash the skillset that made him one of the top receivers in the class of 2019 while adding a blocking element and becoming a more complete player.

Sherman helped Scott make the decision to try switching to tight end this offseason, mentoring him as a player through his two years at Ohio State so far. Fitzgerald is helping Scott off the field, not even mentioning X’s and O’s during their conversations.

“I’m blessed for a lot of reasons. I’m blessed for those relationships,” Scott said. “I’m blessed to be here. And so I’m definitely appreciative,” Scott said. “Not a day goes by that I’m not appreciative for those things. And I never take it for granted. When I hear those words [from Fitzgerald], I’m like a vacuum, I just I take it all in and everything they say, I take the things out of it that I need to take out of and I apply it to my life. These are people that have actually done the things and been to places where I want to go. And so like I said, I’m thankful for those kinds of relationships.”

Gee Scott has heard those same comparisons throughout his life. The style of play is the same. The position they played prior to Scott’s position change were he same.

Those similarities even now include something far more important than football: the loss of family.

But through that, Gee Scott has found a way to form a bond with one of the all-time great NFL receivers. And he’s using that bond to help get through this time in his life — and thrive on the football field for Ohio State in the process.

“It is dope,” Scott said. “Especially when you have so much respect for somebody. And not because of what they said, or what people think about them, but by what they’ve done. And if you just look at the things that he’s done, he’s actually went out there and has done it consistently for many years. You’re not hearing about Larry Fitzgerald doing bad things out here, getting in trouble here. And there, someone has actually been a consistent leader to not only his teammates, but everyone around him in the NFL.

“Being able to hear words straight from him, it’s been a blessing.”