After beginning his career in infamy with the New York Jets, Geno Smith has made a name for himself as a capable NFL quarterback during his time with the Seattle Seahawks.
The veteran has gone through plenty of struggles throughout his football career but has worked through it all with a strong supporting cast behind him. Who are Smith’s parents, and how did they shape his life?
Meet Geno Smith’s Parents
Smith was born on Oct. 10, 1990, at Jackson Memorial Hospital to parents Eugene “Geno” Cyril Smith Jr. and Tracey Sellers. It was an emotional and, at times, frightening day for the family as 12 hours passed before Smith came out, and even then, he was not breathing.
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“The umbilical cord was choking him,” Sellers told ESPN in 2013. “My mom lit up the labor room and started praying. She said, ‘God, you didn’t bring us this far to leave us.’
“That moment is forever etched in my mind. I got to the hospital just in time, and his life was already planned.”
Smith was raised by Sellers and her mother, Mosetta Bratton, in Miami. Sellers had initially met Geno Smith II through a friend as they went to different high schools and eventually became closer, according to ESPN.
Sellers was 16 years old when she became pregnant with Smith and 17 when she gave birth to him. After having him, Bratton would take care of Smith during the day while Sellers went to school. Bratton’s son, Antwan, also lived with them at the house and was the one to initially introduce Smith to football, which he quickly took to, according to ESPN.
Although Sellers and Smith Jr. do not live together, ESPN reported in 2013 that the father of the NFL quarterback shared holiday dinners with Sellers and the family and that Sellers even does his taxes.
“I don’t understand how you can have a kid with someone and not care about them,” Smith Jr. told ESPN at the time.
That unique upbringing and support from many people beyond just his two parents certainly seem to have worked for Smith.
His professional career got out to a rocky start after being drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, but he found his way to Seattle and had a breakout season in 2022. He threw for 4,282 yards and 30 touchdowns with 11 interceptions while running for 366 yards and one more score on his way to the Associated Press Comeback Player of the Year award.
That success has at least somewhat carried over into 2023, with Smith up to 2,584 passing yards and 12 TDs with eight INTs through his first 11 games of the season.
Time will tell how the rest of the season goes, but Smith seems to remain rooted in his familial foundation through it all.