What do they say about never upstaging the bride on her wedding day?
On September 22, Kansas City Chiefs rookie Carson Steele made his NFL debut, helping the defending Super Bowl champions beat the Atlanta Falcons 22-17 to improve their record to 3-0 on the season. That day also marked another memorable event for Steele and his family: his sister, Kesslar, got married.
Steele skipped the wedding because he replaced injured star running back Isiah Pacheco in the lineup.
Steele, a 21-year-old undrafted rookie who played college football at Ball State University before transferring to UCLA, rushed 17 times for 72 yards, but his mind was definitely with his sister — though her love for the field is unmatched.
“I hate to say it, but I’ll be there every day of the week,” he said. told NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” crew after the game when asked if he would rather be at the game or at his sister’s wedding.
“I love you, Kesslar. I hope everything went well, but I pick this day every week,” he continued.
Steele’s sister was getting married in their home state of Indiana, and he warned her to take action if too many guests were focusing on him instead of celebrating his big day.
“I thought, ‘If too many people are watching the game, go ahead and turn off that TV,'” Steele said. told the Kansas City Star. “But she fell for it. She’s always there for me too.”
Steele, who was supposed to serve as best man if he could have attended the wedding, also said his sister did her best to keep him on the straight and narrow as he prepared for his big game on national television.
“She had a really busy week, so we talked and she calmed me down about it,” he said.
The wedding was planned two years ago, when Steele was in college and it was unclear whether he would play professional football.
“I told her, ‘Hey, you can’t have a wedding in September when your brother’s playing in the NFL,’” Steele joked. “But apparently she didn’t really listen to me.”
Steele may not be heading home to congratulate his sister in person anytime soon, as Pacheco is expected to be out for a few more weeks. The Chiefs next play on Sept. 29 against the AFC West rival Chargers.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
