Is there a such thing as love at first sight in todays society? Can you meet someone and just instantly “know” that you are meant for one another? Well, veteran wife, Kelly Davis thought so when she met PFWA 2016 “Good Guy” award winning, Thomas Davis Sr. 12 years ago. “We met in the parking lot of the old South End Brewery, in Charlotte one night after a party through a mutual friend just after he was drafted to the North Carolina Panthers,” She says. “We instantly knew we were meant to be together and became best friends.”
Both Kelly and Thomas had children from other relationships and she describes that the candidness he had about his child is what initially attracted her to him. “When I met Thomas I didn’t even know he was a football player for a few days,” She says. “I was attracted to his openness about having a young son and also his attentiveness to my situation of being a young mom, in college and working full time.” Kelly did not fail to mention the tidbit of how strikingly handsome he was!
The couple dated three years before they were married on March 22, 2008. Thomas, who is ever the prankster proposed to her on one of the most important days of her life, her graduation day. “He gave me my graduation gift and I looked and it was a large Nike duffle bag,” she says. “I was like okayyy, I could use a duffle,” She says laughing. “He told me to open the bag and at the bottom was the ring and when I looked back at him he was down on one knee in front of all my family and closest friends.”
On Thomas’s 26th birthday the couple became one. Yes, on his birthday! “He was very adamant about being married on his birthday because he said it was an important day to him.” She also jokingly adds, “Im thinking it was so he would never forget our anniversary.” Although Kelly was from South Carolina and Thomas was from Georgia they both decided to get married in North Carolina. “This was important to us because we started our lives together in Charlotte,” she says.
The admired couple have been married eight years now and were both very young when they tied the knot and are still making it work eight years later. “The best advice I was given was to keep GOD first and to keep everyone else out of our marriage,” she says. “We even took the step of getting baptized together as one.” She goes on to says that they keep everyone out of their marriage to a certain extent. “We actually think its a good thing to share our marriage experience with other couples because it helps them in navigating through their relationships. Nowadays you don’t see too many young people getting married and staying married. Its takes a village and we have to lean on others for counsel sometimes and gain wisdom that we can use and also pass on to others.”
In the world of professional athlete wives and girlfriends (WAG) its very important to have other WAG friends as their lives are elite and truth is truth, there are levels. Not elite in the sense that they are better than any other wife but their circumstances and focuses are different when being in relationship with a man that is playing one of Americas favorite sports.
Advice from a veteran wife is priceless to a rookie wife. “In my opinion, if you treat your husband the same as you would a guy who is not an athlete then it shouldn’t be difficult. There are no special privileges or passes given to my husband strictly because he is an athlete and he makes a lot of money,” she stresses adamantly. “Respect for me as his wife and our family is key. He helps me take care of the kids, gives baths, cook, homework and whatever else we may need.”
Thomas is a normal guy with a great career and its awesome to get a look into how these husbands balance family and profession. “I love how my husband balances it all which every athlete cant do,” she says. Kelly also makes it a point to say, “I think women go wring with professional athletes when they allow certain things to happen in their relationships because of the favorite thought of -thats what athletes do-.” She sums it up in just a few more words by saying, “Not all athletes do the same things.”
Good advice I say and kudos to Mrs. Davis for for being an example for other wives and girlfriends.
