Bucs awards game ball to GM via FaceTime after his father’s death

Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht missed their 55-40 win against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday afternoon.

Jason’s father Ron, who was 80, died suddenly on Saturday in Nebraska, So Jason left the team in Los Angeles to fly back to Nebraska and be with his family.

So after the win, Bucs coach Bruce Arians FaceTimed Licht in the locker room. He had a surprise for his general manager.

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“I got Jason on the phone. This is the game ball for him,” Arians said, setting off a round of applause in the locker room.

To make the day even more memorable for Jason, who has been with Tampa since 2014, his father’s reported favorite Nebraska player of all time had a huge outing for the Bucs. Ndamukong Suh — who played at Nebraska from 2005-09 — scooped up a fumble after a strip-sack and ran it back 37 yards for a touchdown in the final two minutes of the game, sealing the win for Tampa.

“He means the world to me,”' Jason said of his father earlier this year, via the Tampa Bay Times. “He’s been there through thick and thin. He’s my best friend. He’s battled his own adversity. He’s shown me first hand how to fight through it. He’s a great husband, father ... everything rolled into one.”

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