“He’s getting game-time ready. He has a stone-cold face on.” These were the words used by Leah Ford to describe her son’s attitude before his NFL draft in 2019. Although C0dy Ford was touted as a first-round pick coming out of Oklahoma, the Bills picked him up in the second round. As their 38th overall pick. Having spent two seasons in Buffalo and one in Arizona, Ford has now found his home in Cincinnati Bengals. 

However, all of those wouldn’t have been possible if not for his mom and grandpa, Eddie Rabalais. So, learning about them and their significance in Ford’s life might help you out in knowing more about the Bengals’ offensive guard.

Who is Cody Ford’s Mom?

Unlike other kids, Ford never got the love of his biological father. After Leah’s divorce, she and Ford moved into her parents’ home. And her ex-husband never visited anymore. So it was Ford, her mother, her uncle Mark Rabalais, and, of course, Papa Eddie Rabalais. It was Leah’s dad who filled the void of a fatherly figure in Ford’s childhood.

Not only that, it was Rabalais who identified Ford’s talent from an early age. His grandfather even gave a prediction that soon Ford would make it to the NFL. Although that seemed like a far-fetched dream at that time, now it’s a reality. Well, Leah didn’t also have great expectations when her dad made the proclamation.

However, coming from a family of sports, it was only a matter of time before Ford leaped. Even during his college days in Oklahoma, when Ford started to get attention for his talents. He didn’t mince his words to praise his grandpa for it, “It’s my competitive nature. I also believe it came from my grandpa instilling the dominance in me.” Well, Ford wasn’t joking when he gave all the credit to his grandpa who himself was a footballer at his time.

Who was Cody Ford’s Papa?

Back in his day, Ford’s Papa was an offensive lineman similar to Ford’s position on the gridiron. Even his uncle, Mark, had played center at Northwestern State. Therefore, Rabalais quickly decided to get his grandson enrolled in T-ball and youth league football. Well, it was Rabalais only who decided that Ford would excel as an offensive lineman. Starting off his footballing journey in 2015 as an offensive lineman at Oklahoma. Ford was wearing his red shirt for the first time. However, a tragedy soon changed his life in Nov 2015.

Upon hearing his Papa passed away, Ford wrote an emotional message on his Instagram, “I’m gonna keep you proud and smiling. I miss you already. You taught me a lot of the life lessons I have, You used to yell at me for sitting in your chair. You helped me catch my first fish. Right on my side on signing day and you’ve supported me my entire life. It’s time for you to go now but I know you’re still with me.” Papa’s sudden demise must have left a huge hole in Ford’s heart as “He was Cody’s best friend, basically,” as per his mom, Leah.

Showing that he still remembers his Papa to this day, you can often find Ford using #RIPPAPA on his socials. This shows the impact that Eddie Rabalais had on Cody Ford’s career. As he continues to define his NFL legacy, he will surely remember his Papa every day while preparing to get on the gridiron.