DC Defenders wide receiver Eli Rogers is playing today’s XFL game with a heavy heart.
Rogers’ mother died this week and her funeral is today, according to the ABC broadcast of today’s game.
Rogers chose to play, and on the first drive he played very well, catching all three of the passes thrown to him and gaining 50 yards as the Defenders marched down the field and scored a touchdown on their opening possession.
The 27-year-old Rogers had a very promising season as a rookie with the Steelers in 2016, catching 48 passes for 594 yards. But he couldn’t match that production in 2017 or 2018, and he was released before the start of he 2019 season. Now he’s trying to get back into professional football, and he’s willing to make personal sacrifices to get there.
