“Her birth was simultaneously the most emotional, difficult and joyful experience of our lives.”
J.J. McCarthy wasn’t at practice on Thursday — but he had a valid reason for playing hooky.
According to the Star Tribune, the 22-year-old Minnesota Vikings quarterback was present for the team’s meetings and walk-through on Sept. 11, but asked head coach Kevin O’Connell if he could leave early.
His reason? To take his fiancée Katya Kuropas to the hospital to welcome their first baby.
After hearing why, O’Connell — a former QB who shares four kids with his wife Leah — quickly excused his star QB and told him he didn’t need to ask permission.
McCarthy’s star wideout Justin Jefferson also had a message for his star QB leaving early.
“If you’re seeing this now, congratulations, my boy. I’m excited for [you] with this new chapter. But after you get done, come on back,” Jefferson said, per Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune.
On Sept. 12, Kuropas took to Instagram to share a photo of their newborn baby boy Rome Micah.
“The sweetest, most perfect gift from God!! We are so unbelievably blessed to be your parents,” she wrote in the caption, adding that Rome was 21 inches long and weighed 8.7 pounds at his time of birth.
READ MORE: NFL rookie Travis Hunter and wife Leanna De La Fuente welcome baby boy. ‘Dear son…’
“God is GREAT,” McCarthy wrote in a comment under the post.
“& so are you my love,” he wrote in a separate comment, tagging his fiancée.
McCarthy didn’t waste any time getting back to the football field. He was back with the Vikings on Sept. 12 and had a “great red zone kind of fast Friday practice,” according to O’Connell, per the Star Tribune.
“It’s an awesome moment as a father myself to kind of see his reaction to it, best day of his life,” the coach added.
J.J. McCarthy and Kuropas have been together through it all
The couple started dating in high school and their relationship only grew stronger when McCarthy took his talents to the University of Michigan, where he spent two years as the team’s starter in 2022 and 2023.
They announced their engagement on Instagram in January 2024, three months before he was drafted by the Vikings.
McCarthy was slated to compete for the Vikings’ starting QB role in his first year with the team, but his season was cut short due to a torn meniscus he suffered in their first preseason game, per ESPN.
In May, two months before reporting to training camp, McCarthy and Kuropas announced their pregnancy.
“The best surprises come when you least expect them. Our sweet baby boy is arriving in September and we couldn’t be happier,” Kuropas wrote in a May 21 Instagram post.
Now four months later, Rome Micah has arrived.
JJ McCarthy’s baby announcement comes just three days after he made his NFL debut against the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.
The quarterback didn’t look sharp in his first taste of NFL action, but led his team to a fourth quarter comeback after throwing for two touchdowns and running for a third en route to a 27-24 victory.
He finished the game with 168 total yards and three total touchdowns in the win, per ESPN.
ALSO ON MOD MOMS CLUB: Score big with these NFL-inspired baby names that are anything but ordinary — yet still usable
McCarthy’s first game as a dad will come on Sunday night against the Atlanta Falcons — his first home game at U.S. Bank Stadium.
