“Life’s good,” Braxton Berrios once mentioned. Seemingly, with his parents the Miami Dolphins WR has been enjoying his off-field life. Braxton, 29, is often seen adoring his mom, Lee Smothers, and dad, Rico Berrios. Clearly, with his guardians’ massive support and true guidance, Berrios carved his path to the NFL as a distinguished player.

Since the New England Patriots drafted him in 2018, he has achieved several accolades in his career. From becoming the SB champion to earning the First-team All-Pro nomination in 2021 with the Jets, demonstrates his skills. And, he made all this possible just because of the strong backing of his parents.

Who are Rico Berrios and Lee Smothers?

Allegedly, Braxton’s mom, Lee Smothers has been his staunch supporter throughout his life journey. Apparently, from focusing on Berrios’ education to making him an NFL athlete, she has been behind him every step of the way. Reportedly, Dolphins star mom is also a sports enthusiast. Lee is a former softball player at Campbell University. Probably, this is the place where Berrios’ parents first met each other.

Interestingly, just like his mom, his dad, Rico was also massively involved in sports. He is a former soccer player at CU in Buies Creek, North Carolina. And, initially, he also played for the Miami Southridge High School in 1985. Thus, his athletic parents might have instilled such ethics, discipline, and preservation in him.

However, Rico and Lee Smothers’ marriage did not work well. After spending a few years of their marriage, his parents split up in 2002. Allegedly, in 2014, his mom, Lee remarried, to Chad Smothers, a former Green Hope high school athletic director who also coached Braxton for four years in high school.

Cherishing his mom’s support, Braxton took his mom out on a vacation in Hawaii. Posting it on his IG platform, he shared images back in March 2023, captioning it as “New trend: Take your mom on a vacation.”

On the other hand, his dad who currently serves as the vice president of sales for a Dallas-based furniture manufacturer also got married again in 2009.  Impressively, despite their divorce, Braxton’s parents are often seen to cherish him together. Seemingly, they both together shaped the Patriots player’s successful career trajectory.

How does Braxton Berrios receive unwavering support from his family?

Reportedly, ex-Jets player, Braxton’s dad played a vital role in shaping his athletic journey. Being an athletic dad, he guided him as a football coach in Berrios’ childhood days. Since then, Berrios has been receiving his parent and family’s support throughout his journey.

Earlier, during an interview, the NFL WR recalled the incident when he convinced his dad to throw the ball as hard as he could, over his head. And, Rico agreed to his son’s request. Interestingly his dad also reflected on the same incident.

“He ran full speed, made a diving catch, and slid across the mud,” his dad explained.  “My neighbor would come out of his house and yell, ‘Rico, you’re crazy! You’re going to kill this kid’ — but his wife would say, ‘No, he’s not killing him. That boy is going to play in the NFL one day,” his dad further added.

Apart from this, Berrios decided to play for UM over South Carolina, Tennessee, Oregon, and Kentucky, just because of his dad. His dad is from Miami and has been a huge fan of the Miami Hurricanes. In 2013, when Braxton announced that he would play for the Hurricanes, Rico’s reaction went viral.

Thrilled at the moment, Rico revealed his feelings in an interview back then. “I told Braxton, ‘You go where you fit in best. I’ll always be a Hurricane fan no matter what, and wherever you go to school will be my second-favorite team.’ “I’m glad he made the right choice.”

Besides his his, even his older brother, Austin, who is also an ex-baseball player at East Carolina University is also his constant supporter. Braxton altogether has five siblings, who have equally excelled in both sports and academics.

However, it indeed reflected his dad’s support. Hence, one can say that his parents helped him to become an NFL star player.