Darron Lee's mother is leaving the TV news business to manage her linebacker son.
"He calls me his 'mom-ager,'" Candice Lee told the Columbus Dispatch.
Candice Lee spent nine years as a reporter and weekend anchor for WCMH-TV, the NBC affiliate in Columbus, Ohio, but she gave 90 days notice the day after the draft in April. Darron, who grew up in the Columbus area and starred at Ohio State, was drafted in the first round by the New York Jets.
Her last day on the air will be July 27, according to the Dispatch.
“I want to be there for many of his games and working weekends would not be conducive to traveling to see him play," Candice told the newspaper. "Plus, it was time. I have been in the business for 19 years.”
She will devote her time to handling her son's off-the-field affairs, including endorsements and marketing. The money hasn't started coming in yet, as he's one of only four first-round picks who hasn't signed. When he does, it'll be a four-year contract for $10.2 million.
Say this for those Ohio State moms: They're not bashful about making career changes. Annie Apple, the mother of Lee's former Ohio State teammate Eli Apple, was hired after the draft to work for ESPN's NFL Countdown.
Candice is going in the opposite direction -- from TV to ... well, a mom-ager.
