The lead-up to the NFL Draft is incredibly exciting for hundreds of players hoping for life-changing news and millions of fans praying that their team will snag the next Tom Brady or Julio Jones, but it’s hard to imagine anyone looking forward to it more than 13-year-old Mo Gaba.
Gaba, who’s been blind since birth, is battling cancer for the third time and is a HUGE Baltimore Ravens fan, was invited to announce the team’s fourth-round draft pick — the 123rd overall pick.
It will be the first time that an NFL draft card is written in Braille, according to the team.
The middle schooler is a regular caller to Baltimore sports radio stations and called 98 Rock on Wednesday to talk about the draft.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was also on the line and invited Gaba to announce the pick at the team’s fan event on Saturday in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.
“What? Really? I’ve never done that before,” Gaba said with a big smile on his face. “I would like to do that, yeah.”
Habaugh told Gaba they’d send a car to pick him and his mother up and promised they’d get the red-carpet treatment.
“You’re going to be the first person in the history of the NFL to announce a draft pick written on a card in Braille. How amazing is that going to be?” Harbaugh said. “You’re going to make history.”
Gaba responded with an excited “Whoa!”
The Ravens posted video of the conversation on Twitter (you may want to have tissue handy).
Gaba was a bit overwhelmed by the news.
“I still need to process it all. I’m getting a little teary-eyed just thinking about it,” he told CNN affiliate WBAL before going back to class at Lindale Middle School.
