“I’ll be someone people can confide in in a judgment-free space, while also remaining my positive self.” This was an oath that Osa Odighizuwa took when he got to fulfill his dream of playing in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle and his family have suffered their fair share of hardships in life. Even as a 5-year-old kid, Osa knew he had to be responsible.

Osa, the youngest of four Odighizuwa siblings, and his eldest brother and a former NFL DE, Owa Odighizuwa, are pretty close. Owa had to take the role of a father since the tender age of 11. That’s because their mother, Abieyuwa Odighizuwa, and father Peter Odighizuwa had a tumultuous relationship. However, their mother has done everything in her power to keep the family together.

Who is Osa Odighizuwa’s mother, Abieyuwa Odighizuwa?

To know the Cowboys DT’s mother better, we need to understand her relationship with her husband Peter. The mother of four reportedly suffered frequent abuse from her husband, who at some point, was arrested for assault. Their unstable relationship required the couple to move initially from Nigeria to Ohio to Virginia to Portland, Oregon, and some other places.

She tried to have a stable career working as a Certified Nurse Assistant, but luck wasn’t in her favor. It was at that point that she had to send her two sons Owa and Iggy to Nigeria, and she couldn’t see them for 5 years. When the brothers came back, the rift in their family became apparent.

“I needed somebody that would be able to take care of the kids properly when I was at work, which was something their dad wasn’t willing to do most of the time,’’ Abieyuwa Odighizuwa aka AB said of Owa. “It was very difficult. I couldn’t go to a park and watch my kids play. That was one of the most devastating things.”

“It helped shape him [Owa] a lot. In so many ways I can’t even describe. Nothing wrong with being with family, but there’s a difference between being with your parents and being with family members. He had to grow up. It has helped shape everything that he does,’’ said Osa’s mother back in 2015 of the oldest son Owa, who got drafted by the New York Giants.

Time flew by and the mother of 4 started to gain some stability in life. But she had to sacrifice a lot to raise 4 kids. Abieyuwa worked 12-hour shifts at the hospital and even took up another job to support the distraught family. This prompted the oldest son Owa to be the man of the house, feed his brothers, and even get them ready for school.

“She fought like hell to make sure me and my brother came back to the States, and she fought again to make sure she separated the boys from my dad. She sheltered us in a lot of ways from a lot of the negative impact most of those situations have on kids growing up. I feel like she’s the main reason all of us came out of that level-headed,’’ Owa said of his mother.

All the struggle and hard work paid off when Owa landed a $3.4 million rookie deal with the Giants in 2015. However, the consequences the Odighizuwa family suffered because of their father’s “unstable mental health” didn’t come to a halt.

Who is Osa Odighizuwa’s father, Peter Odighizuwa?

Though the family had a fractured relationship, they lived together in 2022.  At 43, Peter was a freshman at the Appalachian School of Law. However, he got suspended because of failing grades. The father lost his composure and sh-t the dean, another faculty member, and a student. Three other students were badly injured. He got 3 life sentences and an additional 28 years with no possibility of parole.

This did not deter the family from striving toward a better life. The oldest son got drafted in the NFL in 2015 and retired after playing two seasons. That’s because of his injury-riddled NFL career and poor mental health. Osa Odighizuwa carried his brother’s dream after he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys back in 2021. The Odighizuwa boys dreamed of playing in the NFL together, but sadly, that plan did not come to fruition.

The Odighizuwa family’s troubles inspired Osa to take a seat for the Sociology of Mental Illness at UCLA. “I’ll be someone people can confide in in a judgment-free space, while also remaining my positive self,” he said. “I would want teammates to feel like they can come to me with a problem and know I will listen and be there without judging anyone.”

To commemorate their mother and all the struggles that she went through to raise 4 kids, the Odighizuwa family now runs the Odighizuwa Foundation of which, Abieyuwa Odighizuwa is the CEO. The foundation helps single parents by providing education and other opportunities to their kids, locally and nationally.

“Words can’t describe how passionate we as a family are about making a difference in the lives of single parents. Our desire is to honor these parents and their children in ways that will have an everlasting impact. We believe that creating a strong community will help us achieve this amazing task” – Abieyuwa Odighizuwa, CEO