‘We’ve mourned, we’re still mourning’: Andre Tippett’s mother and stepfather both died from COVID-19
Tippett played for the Patriots his entire NFL career.
Former Patriots linebacker Andre Tippett is mourning the loss of both his mother and stepfather, who passed away this month due to COVID-19.
In a recent interview with The Athletic, Tippett confirmed that his stepfather, Willie Lovett, died on April 21. Four days later, Tippett’s mother Frances Tippett Lovett passed away. They were both 79 years old and living in Irvington, N.J.
Tippett’s son, Coby, also tested positive for the virus. A standout football player in high school while attending Xaverian Brothers in Westwood, Coby is now a defensive back at Towson University in Maryland. After self-quarantining, he has returned back home with his family.
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Tippett told The Athletic’s Steve Buckley that months ago, he could not fathom the virus effecting his family so directly.
“I know this is going on all over the world,” Tippett said. “But someone asked me two months ago, or maybe six weeks ago, if I knew anybody that had been touched by that. And I remember saying, ‘No. But God forbid that anything like that would happen in my family.’ And I thought that nothing would happen.”
He said that his step-father was in the hospital for a heart procedure when he tested positive for the virus, and his mother — who had a heart condition as well — began “feeling like she was at a sauna” while she was there with him. She had contracted the virus as well.
“With the antibiotics and all the things they were trying to do, neither one of them could make it,” Tippett added. “They both went comatose. So it was a very tough time for us.”
The family plans on holding a memorial service in a year, as the virus has restricted large gatherings. Tippett said he and his wife have been receiving phone calls from their friends offering their condolences, and that support has been helping the family get through such a difficult time.
“We’ve mourned, we’re still mourning,” he said. “But I’m feeling stronger because there have been so many people who’ve reached out. I’ve gotten a lot of strength just from the support.
The Pro Football Hall of Famer — who spent his entire career with the Patriots from 1982-93 and had 100 career sacks — said in his 2008 induction speech that his mother was the one who kept him disciplined and held him accountable.
“She ruled with love and a whole lot of discipline,” he said. “Mom, I love you and thank you for that.”
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While he is still grieving her death, Tippett has been especially proud of the work the Patriots have been doing to help fight the virus. In April, owner Robert Kraft and his son, team president Jonathan Kraft, sent a team plane from China to Logan Airport to deliver 1.2 million N95 masks to healthcare workers, including 300,000 masks to New York.
“I know what the Patriots were doing to help all the doctors and nurses and the many other people who are out there in the front lines battling this health crisis,” Tippett said. “You always have an appreciation for what those people are doing.”
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