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7 hours ago
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Shaquil Barrett and his wife, Jordanna Barrett, faced a devastating tragedy in 2023 when their 2-year-old daughter, Arrayah, drowned in their family swimming pool.
Barrett, who re-joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2024 after previously being with the franchise in 2019, shared how his family is doing amid the tragedy. “It’s always a battle,” Shaquil said of their family’s emotional journey during a July 20 appearance on Good Morning America. “It’s always a struggle. It don’t get no easier, but it’s something that we’ve been managing, dealing with—just talking with each other and talking to our families, talking to friends.”
The NFL star also shares children: Shaquil Jr., 13, and Braylon, 12, and daughters Aaliyah, 10, Allanah, 17 months, and 1-month-old Amaiah Marie with Jordanna.
Barrett added that the day of the accident back in 2023, the safety measures that they had on their pool were disarmed. The Buccaneers linebacker said that the gate had been open and the alarms around the door were not on.
“We didn’t even have a gate that was protecting the pool, so that was the main thing,” he explained. “We had door sensors, but we got annoyed—the kids going in and out all the time, so we ended up turning the door sensors off.”
The NFL star is taking the time to tell other parents how “life vests and flotation devices made a false sense of security for the babies.” But, the tragedy is not letting the Barretts be afraid of water as he shared recently that their 17-month-old daughter is partaking in swimming lessons.
A fan commented on the post, "Wonderful!! I’m sure her angel sister is so proud of her too."
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