It wasn’t just on the field where Diogo Jota made his mark. Back in March, his quiet act of compassion toward another grieving father told us everything about the man he was. As Sergio Aguiar, the father of nine-year-old Southport stabbing victim Alice da Silva Aguiar, trained to run the London Marathon in her memory, he received a surprise video message from Jota. “We are all with you here at Liverpool, so go on and do your best!” Jota smiled warmly, raising a fist in solidarity. For Sergio, a fellow Portuguese and longtime FC Porto fan, it was a deeply moving gesture. “I didn’t expect to hear from them. I have his t-shirt. I’m quite happy,” he said, visibly emotional on live television.

And so is the sporting world. Shocked. Stunned. These are just some words that come to mind. But the feeling remains indescribable as the news flashed. Diogo Jota, the Liverpool and Portugal forward, passed away in a car crash in northern Spain. Jota was just 28. More so, he had won it all recently. From getting crowned as the Premier League champ with his soccer club to getting his hands on the UEFA Nations League trophy. Add to that, he had a major W in life as well. He got married his longtime partner (the teenage romance), Rute Cardoso, only ten days prior. Also killed in the crash was his younger brother, André Silva.

And when it’s about a family man… An athlete. A friend. A father, and a husband. Who better to know how to carry it than Russell Wilson. Taking to X, the New York Giants quarterback also paid his respects. “🕊🕊🕊 RIP Diogo & André 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾,” he wrote, expressing his grief. For those of you who don’t know, Russ has some history with the soccer club. In 2022, before a match against the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium, Russell, then a Broncos player, received a Liverpool home shirt with ‘Wilson 3’ written on the back. He even wore the team’s cleats. “Liverpool’s got a special place in my heart,” he said.

The outpouring has been global. But within the American sporting scenes, former NFL kicker Eddy Piñeiro, who was a former youth soccer star, too,  was among the first from the American sports world to react. “Jesus help his family, amen,” he wrote in an Instagram story. Jota’s story resonated far beyond the pitch. In every locker room, especially among those who knew the grind of both sports and sacrifice, Jota’s journey felt deeply personal.

Now, that ‘special’ team’s (like Russ said) #20 helped them win their 20th league title before leaving the fans and family behind. For Diogo Jota, his career was only one part of the story. All who knew his name will remember the rest:  his humility, his warmth, his humanity.

Russell Wilson’s tribute gathers fans from cross-sports to mourn Diogo Jota

When Russell Wilson posted a heartfelt Father’s Day tribute, honoring his late father and celebrating his own role as a dad,  it hit harder than usual. “God is the ultimate GOOD Father,” he wrote. But in the days that followed the tragic loss of Liverpool’s Diogo Jota in a car crash, Wilson’s words took on a deeper resonance. The importance of family. The importance of life. At the end of the day, you’re a family man before an athlete. That sense of reality did hit to the fans. So, when Russ sent prayers to Jota’s family after the player’s sudden death, fans huddled up in the comments, finding themselves pulled into a moment of quiet reflection.

“Thanks for that, Russ. As a Giants and a Liverpool fan, this hurts,” one user wrote, speaking for a tribe of fans caught in between grief and gratitude. Wilson, after all, wasn’t just another athlete sharing a post. He’s a player who’s spoken often about legacy — and lived it through leadership, just like Jota did. The Portuguese forward’s own legacy wasn’t only in goals (65 for Liverpool) or medals (Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup), but in moments — like the surprise message he sent to a grieving father before the London Marathon. That’s what people are remembering.

Another fan echoed the pain simply: “Prayers for the family.” Sometimes that’s all there is to say. Jota had only just gotten married ten days before the crash. He was 28. A father of three. A Champions League striker. And now, a reminder that life — like football — doesn’t always give you injury time. As fans grieve, many are still trying to process the sheer swiftness of it all.

“Not sure if Russ ever saw Diogo and Liverpool play live but respect,” another comment read. It’s not about knowing the stats. It’s about recognizing the loss. The worlds of football and football (yes, both kinds) felt smaller this week. Jota, like Wilson, showed leadership in a way that transcended sport. That’s why these tributes feel so deeply personal.

One last comment captured the shared heartbreak: “Prayers.” Just that. Because sometimes all the fandom, the passion, and the banter falls away — and all that’s left is silence. A silence broken only by the echoes of a final message. When Jota’s wife wrote, “my dream came true,” on Instagram after their wedding, Jota replied: “But I’m the lucky one.” Our prayers go out to Diogo’s family. Rest in peace, legend.