Yaya Diaby’s parents, Mohamed and Mariama Diaby, wanted him to be a basketball player rather than a footballer. The linebacker is originally from Guinea, a West African country.
Mariama, like any NFL mother, flinches as she sees her son being tackled. This was one of the reasons she encouraged Yaya to pursue basketball. But Yaya was determined to be a player. He had a strong interest in this sport from a young age. Yaya, famed for his bright smile, didn’t have an easy path to the NFL.
He did not receive any university offers and had to wait a year before Georgia Military College came calling. After a season, he made the Louisville team and is now in the NFL, playing alongside Baker Mayfield and Tristan Wirfs. The linebacker feels that everyone’s journey is unique and that if he succeeds, his story will be an inspiration to many young people.
Yaya Diaby’s Parents: Meet Mohamed and Mariama Diaby
Yaya Diaby’s parents are Mohamed and Mariama Diaby, both from Guinea, West Africa. Diaby admitted in an interview that his family disliked football when he chose it over basketball. Yaya appeared to have grabbed the hearts of Buccaneers fans despite only being in his first season.
After having an impact on the team, Yaya was interviewed on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ YouTube channel. He talked about his attitude toward sports and his personal life. The 24-year-old began by explaining how his nickname came to be so popular among fans. Yaya claimed that his mother, Mariama, came up with the name.
She named the child after Yaya, her older brother. Mariama, the youngest in her family, looked to her older brother for inspiration. She wanted her son to be like his uncle: a leader and a man of the house. Yaya had stated in another interview that his mother instilled in him a strong work ethic.
The NFL player stated that he wants his mother to stop working and that he intends to assist her financially. Diaby continued his conversation with the Buccaneers channel, revealing that his family still understood nothing about football. He also stated that his mother gets excited whenever the team scores or makes an interception. Diaby claims that when someone attacks him, his mother switches into mother mode.
Mariama wanted her child to pick basketball over the contact-heavy sport. The interviewers ridiculed Yaya, stating that his mother probably only celebrates when there is a touchdown interception. As Yaya cements his position with the Buccaneers, we may hear more anecdotes from the linebacker. Yaya hasn’t said much about his father and how he’s influenced his life thus far.
Yaya Diaby’s Journey So Far
Diaby, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, went to North Clayton High School and lettered in football, basketball, wrestling, and track and field. Despite earning All-State and First-Team All-Region honors, college scouts did not consider Diaby a viable choice. After receiving no offers, Diaby started working as a wheelchair passenger assistant at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
He claimed that working at the airport helped him become more psychologically resilient and less prone to taking things for granted. In 2018, Georgia Military College expressed interest in Diaby and admitted him. It was the beginning of something special for Diaby. Yaya recorded 19 tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and two sacks in nine games during his first season.
He received offers from Kansas State and West Virginia but chose Louisville. Yaya started seven of eight games in his first season at Louisville. He has 18 tackles, with 2.5 tackles for loss. Sports Illustrated interviewed Yaya before the start of the second season. He explained that he had been focusing on his nutrition and had gained 20 pounds.
Diaby said defensive coordinator Bryan Brown has been a huge help to him. Yaya delivered on his promise, recording 39 tackles and 3.0 tackles for loss this season. Yaya started all 13 games during his last year at Louisville, totaling 37 tackles and finishing second on the team in tackles for loss (14.5). He was a third-round pick by the Buccaneers. It was a major deal for a student who had earned no Division I or II offers following high school.
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