Marquise Goodwin Loses Baby Hours Before Football Game

On Nov. 12, San Francisco 49ers player Marquise Goodwin scored a touchdown and fell to his knees.

However, he wasn’t just celebrating a play.

Just a few hour earlier, Goodwin and his wife lost their preterm baby boy. After the game, the player took to Instagram to share the heartbreaking news with fans:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbawTQNjXQg/

“I just wanna thank those who’ve genuinely prayed for @morgankamomo & myself throughout this pregnancy,” the 26-year-old athlete wrote alongside a photo of the newborn’s tiny hand resting on his fingertip.

“Unfortunately, we lost our baby boy due to some complications, and had to prematurely deliver him early this morning around 4 am. 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. The pain (physically, mentally, & emotionally) that she has endured is unbelievable. Please Pray for the Goodwin family.”

According to People.com, Goodwin and his wife announced their pregnancy in September and were due in 2018.

You can watch his emotional reaction to scoring a huge touchdown on this video:

Fans Respond With Sympathy

Fans responded on Instagram to express their sympathy and wish Goodwin and his wife:

“My heart and my prayers are heading up to you! I cried myself when I saw this. This broke my heart when I heard about this. Stay strong! Lots of love,” read one comment.

“Stay strong! Prayers are up for you everywhere!” said another.

Morgan Goodwin-Snow 24, also shared her grief in an Instagram post. She thanked those who had offered their comfort and support in the wake of the couple’s tragedy:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BbawTZuHiWt/?taken-by=morganakamomo

“Today, I had to deliver my precious baby boy early this morning due to preterm labor. Despite our loss, my hubby kept grinding, scored his son a touchdown & got our first ‘W’ of the season. He had a wonderful game today. I️ appreciate everyone who kept us in their prayers and constantly checked in on us. This was truly and an amazing experience and it was also a tragic experience,” she wrote.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BQatTDRDPF-/?taken-by=morganakamomo

The couple got married in February of 2016. They were both accomplished track and field athletes at the University of Texas at Austin.

We’re sending our deepest sympathies to the Goodwins during this difficult time.

Athletes Opening Up

The Goodwins aren’t the only professional athletes to share their struggles with heartbreak recently.

Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson and her husband Andrew East (also an NFL player), recently shared that they had experienced a miscarriage.

A video of the couple’s experience was posted to YouTube on Oct. 21, and it has since been viewed more than 2.5 million times.

The video’s description reads:

“The past 48 hours have been some of the happiest, scariest, and saddest times of my life. My husband Andrew and I found out that we were unexpectedly pregnant, only to find out hours later some tragic news. I have been crying more than I ever have, but am still optimistic for what is next.”

Johnson East’s doctor assured the couple that miscarriages are not rare. In fact, according to the American Pregnancy Association, anywhere from 10 to 25 percent of all pregnancies will end in miscarriage.

“We feel like a lot of people go through this so we wanted to share it,” Johnson East said at the beginning of the video.