Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reaves got to celebrate two major accomplishments on the field Sunday night, proposing to longtime girlfriend Mikaela Worley after he and his teammates beat Atlanta in overtime to clinch a spot in the playoffs.
"I hate losing, so there's no way I could have done that in the right spirit after a loss," Reaves said. "That thing was burning a hole in my pocket."
Reaves considered doing it last week but finally decided to make the move after giving Worley's family a heads-up Friday.
"If we win this game, it's destiny," Reaves said. "She's earned it. I can't say enough about her. When I was at my lowest last year, she was there to pick me up every day. She showed up. That's my best friend. Been my best friend since high school."
Worley was in attendance Sunday night at Northwest Stadium and joined Reaves and his teammates on the field to celebrate the victory when the 28-year-old defensive back dropped to one knee and popped the question.
Reaves posted after the game on X that he was "Glad we got to share that moment with the best fans in the world!"
Reaves had surgery to repair a partially torn ACL in October 2023, ending that season. He was the NFL's All-Pro pick as a special teams player in the 2021 season after finally earning a full-time job in the league, but the injury last year again put his career in jeopardy.
"You can tell a lot about somebody when they are going through the worst and how they handle it," Reaves said. "I was going through the worst last year coming off an ACL [tear]. Couldn't do anything, couldn't be my own man and she was the crutch there when I couldn't do it myself."
Reaves is one of Washington's few players left from the organization's most recent playoff game in the 2020 season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
