Joe Kinsey
Videos by OutKick
Kwity Paye, the 21st pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, broke the big news to his mother, Agnes, while he was speaking live on ABC’s draft coverage. “She’s done working,” Kwity said to his unsuspecting mother. That’s right, the defensive end out of Michigan officially retired his mother on the spot.
“One day, she’ll never have to lift a finger again,” Kwity promised the day he signed to play football at Michigan.
The Paye story is an incredible one. Kwity, according to the Providence Journal, is an ethnic Liberian from Sierra Leone and was born in a refugee camp in Guinea. He came with his mother to the United States at six months old.
Agnes’ story goes that she was living in a Sierra Leone refugee camp with her husband and a son. Her cousin was in the same camp. The cousin, Cyrus, asked Agnes to hold money he’d saved working odd jobs around the camp while he was at the far edge of the camp. While he was away, soldiers attacked the camp and Agnes didn’t have time to find Cyrus so she fled with the money and bought her way to Guinea where Kwity was born.
Cyrus ended up sliced up by soldiers and just happened to be saved from certain death because he recognized one of the soldiers and asked for help.
Agnes and her sons eventually found their way to a new life in Rhode Island where she went to work helping the family by working multiple jobs. “She works three jobs,” Kwity said the day he signed with Michigan. “I never see her face.”
That all changed Thursday night when Kwity told his mother she was done being on the run. She’s retired.
Kwity Paye standing next to his mom after being drafted: "She's done working. She's retired."#NFLDraft | @OfficialKwity | @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/ZGpbCRQAGP
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) April 30, 2021
That’s a man right there. Go Horse.
Love the flag
Just to be clear, that’s the Liberian flag.
He’s wearing the flag of the craphole country where his family was living in squalor and almost murdered, the country which produced the happiest moment in his family’s life, that being the day they got to leave. He is not wearing the flag of the country that welcomed them in and provided the mechanism for him to become a millionaire at age 22. Because why would he, we’re such a rotten, racist country.
The more I hear about Kwity, the more I like him. And I’m not even talking about him on the field.
Great moment.
I like how they all have the same garments on. That’s a family right there
GREAT STORY…very very happy for Kwity, his mom, and the whole family !!!!!!
Best wishes for a great career !!!
Why is he not holding the US flag for the country that gave him and his mother freedom, and ability to work his way into great personal wealth?
This country is the only one that can offer you the freedom to dump all over it and be celebrated as you proudly display the oppressive flag of your old country that you had to flee to survive. All of this under the lights of and grand stage of an American midwestern rust-belt city wearing a $4k Brioni suit.
I will root for this guy for the entire time he is remains in the NFL, even when he goes against my Falcons!
Bravo to him and his family!
Should be the American flag for sure but you know these days smfh
Yeah right okay
Good story. Not sure why he’s wearing a Liberian flag, but he’s a kid. Hopefully he’ll figure out where his opportunity came from.
Even though he’s a wolverine ya gotta love his appreciation for his momma. Good luck!