It wasn't until after the San Francisco 49ers won their first game of the season Sunday that wide receiver Marquise Goodwin told fans he and his wife, Morgan Goodwin-Snow, had lost their baby son hours earlier, due to premature labor.
Goodwin posted the news online shortly after the game in which he scored a go-ahead 83-yard touchdown. After that long pass, Goodwin fell to his knees in prayer as his teammates gathered around him. On his way into the end zone, he had blown a kiss to the sky. And with the crowd cheering, he took a knee — and then he was down on both knees, with his head in his hands.
On Instagram, Goodwin thanked people who had prayed for his family during the pregnancy, before adding, "Unfortunately we lost our baby boy due to some complications, and had to prematurely deliver him early this morning around 4 a.m."
Goodwin added, "Although we are hurt, I am grateful for the experience and grateful that God blessed me with a wife as courageous and resilient as Morgan."
With the defeat of the New York Giants, the 49ers' locker room was exuberant after finally notching their first win 10 weeks into the season. But local media report that Goodwin didn't linger after the game, leaving to be with his family.