Saints pick Mark Ingram gets emotional message from jailed dad
By Chris Chase
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Though Mark Ingram Sr. was watching the NFL draft from a federal prison in Alabama, he and his son, Mark Jr., shared one of the most special moments during Thursday's first round.
After the younger Ingram was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 28th pick in the draft, he received an email from his incarcerated father, which was then read to him live on the air by ESPN's Suzy Kolber:
Ingram Sr. is in the middle of a seven-year federal sentence for laundering and bank fraud. He had additional time tacked on to his sentence after jumping bail in 2009 to watch his son, then a freshman, play in the Sugar Bowl. Hours before kickoff, Mark Sr. was apprehended in a hotel room and returned to jail. The next year, Ingram Jr. was a national champion and Heisman trophy winner at Alabama.
Related: Draft pundits weigh in on first round's winners/losers
Though the emotions behind the moment could be interpreted as contrived (Kolber was clearly trying to make Ingram Jr. cry; why couldn't the father have written his son an email directly?), the reaction of Ingram Jr. was genuine and affecting. On a night when many of the other players selected celebrated with their fathers, Ingram Jr. could only look at a BlackBerry screen to share it with his.
In 1987, Ingram Sr. was also a first-round draft pick out of Michigan State. He was taken No. 28 by the New York Giants, the same slot where his son would be selected 24 years later.
Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Saturday, April 30th 2011 at 11:11AM
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