Anthony Barr Says His Mother Is The Real Star
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - At 6-foot-5 and 255 pounds, Anthony Barr is a physical presence on the football field.
But the person he respects most in this world isn't a football player, it's his mom, Lori, who gave birth to Anthony during her junior year of college.
"I was going to be single, raising a little boy, and a biracial boy," Lori Barr said. "I was terrified. My heart is pounding now just thinking about the feeling I had then."
"She was 19 years old, working two jobs and going to college and trying to raise a kid," Anthony Barr said. "You want to be out with your friends and doing things."
But it didn't take long for that to change.
"He came into the world, and I fell in love," said Lori Barr.
So did her parents Jean and John.
"I didn't think there was ever a doubt there was a home for this person, boy or girl," said Lori Barr's father, John.
They helped Lori Barr raise Anthony Barr. But she was the one who encouraged him to get involved in sports. Namely, football.
In a way, the Vikings have Lori Barr to thank for the promising linebacker who starts on Sundays.
Anthony Barr's original love was basketball, but his mother encouraged him to give football a try. He did and never looked back.
"She might love the game even more than me and that's crazy to think of," Anthony Barr said. "She loves the game. I love the game. And I really got that passion from her."
Barr grew to become a star running back at Loyola High School. He caught the eye of college recruiters and ended up with a scholarship to UCLA. Lori Barr was also finding success; she was a principal at St. Paul High School in Santa Fe Springs, California. But a personal nightmare changed all of that.
Struggling with finances, she began using the school's credit card for personal use. She took a little at first, and from there it spun out of control.
"It's like an addict," she said."It was embarrassing. It was shameful. But I couldn't stop."
Lori eventually confessed to stealing about $64,000 from the school. She was sentenced to 180 days in county jail. But the most difficult thing was getting the courage to tell her son what she'd done.
"I just said, 'I have to tell you something and it's not good,'" said Lori. "We both kind of cried and after a while he said, 'Things happen. It will be okay. I love you anyway.'"
"I've never had anything against her," Anthony Barr said. "I always felt that she raised me the right way. She always did everything by the book. Everybody's going to make mistakes. Everybody's going to slip up."
Lori Barr eventually got a second chance to help kids who also need a second chance. James Washington, a two-time Superbowl Champion with the Dallas Cowboys and a mentor to Anthony Barr, hired Lori Barr to be his executive director at a non-profit called Shelter 37. It's an organization that helps children and adults get their high school diplomas.
"Everyone was telling me about her past and can you trust her?" Washington said. "When you say value, she's my MVP."
"I was shocked because I didn't think there was someone out there who would take a chance on me," Lori Barr said.
The Vikings took a chance, too. In the 2014 NFL draft they picked Anthony Barr 9th overall. And his mom, the woman he says made it all possible, was the first person he hugged. It was a moment mother and son will never forget.
"Everything I ever wanted is right in front of me," Anthony Barr said. "I just have to make sure I continue to do the right things and make sure I continue to work hard and keep this thing going."
"It's giving me an opportunity to show my children and the young people here that you're going to mess up," his mother said. "Things are going to happen. But life is going to go on."
From his own life experiences, Anthony Barr has been inspired to give back. The Anthony Barr Foundation, launching early 2016, is a family foundation whose mission is to provide young single mothers with resources to pursue higher education." It's an issue dear to both Barr and his mother's hearts.