The daughter of Cincinnati Bengals beat writer Jay Morrison spoke out poignantly after her mother died following a routine medical procedure.
Veda Morrison Reister thanked Bengals head coach Zac Taylor for his words about her family after it was revealed her mother, Nicki, died on Monday, December 22.
“Very cool of Zac to send my dad a personal message yesterday morning and even more touching for him to make these comments publicly,” Veda shared via Facebook on Tuesday, December 23.
Taylor, 42, addressed Nicki’s death during a press conference on Monday.
“Jay, as you all know, is one of the greatest guys in this business,” Taylor said. “Thoughts and prayers with him and his family and I hate that he’s got to go through that. I know we’re all here for him, so I just wanted to make sure that he knows that and his family knows that.”
Nicki’s death was announced by Jay, her husband of 37 years, on Monday.
“For the first time in 14 years, I watched a Bengals game with my wife Nicki yesterday,” Jay wrote via X. “It will be her last. What should have been a routine medical procedure on Friday turned catastrophic.”
He continued, “She has been on life support since, waiting on organ recipient matches, her final gift in a magnificently beautiful and selfless life. We will be saying our final goodbyes and removing her from the machines.”
“My heart is shattered, and my world is obliterated,” Jay wrote.
Jay, who currently covers the Bengals for Sports Illustrated, told his followers he’d be stepping away from work for “an indefinite period of time.”
“For those of you who know me personally and may want to pay respects, there will not be a funeral,” Jay wrote. “It’s something we talked about a lot a few months ago when my mom passed.”
He concluded, “Instead, there will be celebration of life once my daughter, son and I can compose ourselves enough to plan a party worthy enough of the most beautiful, caring, bad-ass rocker chick I’ve been proud to share a life with for 37 years.”
Veda married her wife, Bethany, on May 24, three weeks after her Jay and Nicki’s wedding anniversary.
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“It was one of the happiest and proudest days of Nicki’s life,” Jay exclusively told Us Weekly on Tuesday.
Nicki is also survived by her son, Braden.
Jay shared video of his late wife’s Honor Walk via social media on Tuesday, traditionally held for individuals on life support, with no chance for survival, as they are wheeled into the operating room for organ procurement.
“We said our goodbyes to Nicki last night in the most appropriately meaningful way, with a hero’s Honor Walk,” Jay wrote. “I need to advise that the video might be hard to watch, seeing her in that state. But we are sharing it in order to help bring awareness and positivity to the beautiful act of organ donation. True to her selfless spirit and soul until the very end, she will be giving people she never met the greatest of Christmas gifts.”
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