“I grew up in the projects, we didn’t even own a car,” Cooper wrote on an Instagram post displaying the purchases. “The whole story is way too long and melancholic, but just know a dream can go a long way if it’s followed by faith and hard work. It took us 20+ years but now my mother has the house and car of her dreams. You deserve it mama, I love you.”
During a 2014 ESPN Heisman Trophy broadcast, per AL.com’s Michael Casagrande (h/t SB Nation’s James Dator), Cooper said his mother worked multiple jobs without owning a car during his childhood. He recalled a time where she walked three miles to the market alone, returning with marks on her arms from lugging the bags back.
“It was just an example of how hard she worked, her getting off work so late or working so hard already,” Cooper said. “She sacrificed for us. You want to know how much somebody loves you, just look at how much they sacrifice.”
After compiling over 1,000 receiving yards in each of his two NFL seasons, the 22-year-old expressed his gratitude for his mother’s perseverance.
