🏈 The story behind Alabama’s Marcus Banks’ emotional - and viral - video of gift honoring late father

[RTB X Bot]

A video posted of Alabama defensive back Marcus Banks receiving a gift from his girlfriend has been viewed more than 793,000 times in just two days.

One look at the 39-second video, and you’ll understand why.

Banks’ girlfriend, Haven Lewis, tweeted a video of her presenting the Alabama freshman with a stuffed elephant dressed in the appropriate Alabama gear. Banks was brought to tears as the stuffed animal was personalized with the voice of his late father, Bobby Meeks.

The reaction from Banks - when he realized what he was hearing - was immediate. Putting together the gift, however, took a bit longer, according to Lewis and Banks’ mother, Leah Bergeron.

Lewis, 18, said Banks shared the recording with her a couple of months ago. Just a couple of weeks ago, though, she saw the idea on social media.

“I said, ‘This is perfect,’” Lewis, who has been seeing Banks for six months but has known him since middle school, told AL.com on Monday. “I knew his mom had (the recording) too, so I didn’t want to ask him because he would’ve been questioning and everything. I wanted to surprise him with it. I ended up just working some magic.”

So, during Crimson Tide Fan Day weekend, Lewis and Bergeron traveled the nine hours from Houston to Tuscaloosa with the gift.

“He was very shocked,” Lewis said. "I knew he was going to be kind of loss for words. "

Meeks, who played at Florida State from 2000-2004, died in March 2018 after complications from surgery.

Bergeron said the family kept all of Meeks’ voice mails after his death. This one, however, was special to Banks.



“Hey, just want to tell you good job,” Meeks said in the recording. “I love you. Keep u the good work. Get some rest. Hey, sky’s the limit. Keep doing what you are supposed to do.”

“We knew it was going to be an emotional time,” Bergeron told AL.com on Monday. "Anytime he replays his daddy’s voice mail, it’s always emotional for him. For him to see that, the surprise on his face. ... When he saw the bear he was a little confused, then I told him to press the bear’s paw so you can hear what the bear said.

"He’s always had a very close bond with his father. His father taught at the same school Speedy graduated from. Just to see his reaction and just to be able to press a button and hear his father’s voice, it’s almost magical.

“We only caught a glimpse of it because we didn’t want to put it all out there. He was very very emotional.”

The college football world took notice. Thousands have liked and re-tweeted, including former Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin..

The decision to use the emotional voice mail was not made lightly, Lewis said.

“I wanted to ask (Bergeron) to make sure it was OK,” Lewis said. “I wanted to make sure it wasn’t going too far. I wanted to ask her how she felt about me giving it to him.”

Bergeron didn’t hesitate.

“I knew it was going to be a beautiful thing," she said. “I had no doubt. I knew how special that voice mail is to Speedy. I know it is something he will treasure for a very very long time. That’s something that will always have sentimental value to him.”

Bergeron has always called her son Speedy after his little league coached dubbed him Speedy at 5 years old.

Banks is aware of the attention the video has gotten, Bergeron said, but his focus is elsewhere.

“We talked to him a little bit about it, but he has been focused on his football,” she said. “His No. 1 priority is making sure he does what he is supposed to do at Alabama. We are trying to handle it on the back end of it. At the same time, we keep him involved, but his focus has to be on Alabama football, period.”

So, how is that going for the freshman early in fall camp?

“He knew he made the best decision for his life,” Bergeron said. "No doubt and no question about that. He’s done very well in his classes. He’s adjusting very well, especially going nine hours away from home."

Still, Lewis can only laugh at the attention the video has received. Reaction has been positive. Fans of the video have encouraged Banks to marry Lewis, citing she is a keeper for such a special gift.

“It’s crazy,” Lewis said. “We’ve talked about it a few times, just playing around, but they made it sound like we need to do it right now. I’m like, ‘We’re only 18.’”

“Exactly," Bergeron chimed in. "That is not something we are rushing into anytime soon. Both families agree on that."

So, what’s Lewis doing for the next gift-giving occasion?

“I don’t know what I’m going to do for Christmas,” she said, laughing. “I don’t know what will top that gift.”

Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.

 

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