NFL Player Brings Parents Who Were in Israel Amid War With Hamas to Game After Their Return to US

A linebacker with the 🏈Detroit Lions was able to bring his parents, who had been stuck in 🇮🇱Israel in the wake of 🇮🇱Israel’s war with 🏴Hamas, to his game Sunday.

Alex Anzalone had several reasons to celebrate after the Lions’ game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, according to Sports Illustrated.

Not only had the Lions defeated the Buccaneers 20-6, but his parents, Sal and Judy Anzalone, were there to witness the game.

“Moments like this put everything in perspective,” Alex Anzalone shared in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Sometimes we take family for granted, especially parents. We tend to think they’ll always be here for us. Love you Mom and Dad, more than you know.”

Prior to attending Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers, Sal and Judy Anzalone had been stuck in 🇮🇱Israel as conflict unfolded between 🇮🇱Israel and 🏴Hamas, which has left more than 1,400 people dead including, 30 Americans.

The Anzalones arrived in 🇮🇱Israel on Oct. 2 with a group of 53 people from their church, First Naples, a Baptist church in Florida, according to The Detroit News.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), who represents Naples as a part of his congressional district, spoke about the church group being stuck in 🇮🇱Israel with CNN, according to the outlet.

“I have 53 members of my constituency who are in Jerusalem right now,” Donalds told the outlet. “Obviously, they are panicked, trying to find their way to get back to America.”

In a now-deleted post on X, Alex Anzalone, a linebacker with the Lions, pleaded with President Joe Biden to get his parents out of 🇮🇱Israel.

“Please get my parents home,” the 🏈Football player wrote.

His parents’ presence boosted Alex Anzalone to have a pretty good game — he led the Lions with seven solo tackles, had two assists, a tackle for loss and two passes defended, ESPN reported.

The church group from Naples was able to return home safely from 🇮🇱Israel on Thursday.

Alex Anzalone commented on his parent’s return home, describing it as “crazy.”

“You think about it, they were in a hostile situation in a foreign country this time a week ago,” Alex Anzalone said. “Just to have them here home, it puts everything in perspective. It was just a good vibe going into the game. There was no way I was going to play a bad game today.”