Deebo Samuel has an immense amount of appreciation for all of the women who helped him navigate his journey to the 49ers and the NFL.
Samuel penned a touching story for GQ on Sunday that paid tribute to his biological mother, his stepmother and his grandmother.
He, in particular, singled out his stepmother, Precious Martin, for "saving [his] life" during his days growing up in South Carolina.
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"She took me in. I moved with my dad to her house in Inman, South Carolina. Man, I’m gonna be honest: without her, I wouldn’t have made it to college," Samuel dictated to GQ's Tyler Tynes. "My grades weren’t the best, but she clamped down on me and forced me over the finish line. I really think she saved my life. S--t, she raised me."
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Through the adversity of injuries in college and the NFL, Martin lifted Samuel up, and he will be forever grateful for her help along the way.
"When my life was on the line, it was Precious who saved me. When I had nowhere to go, it was Precious who got me out of that dark place. She took me under her wing even though I wasn’t her child. She pointed me in the right direction of life to get me where I am today. I thank God that He put her in my life and in my father’s life, because she changed his life around, too. She refused to let me go back to what I grew up under."
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