The former Cincinnati Bengals player Ickey Woods experienced a heartbreak in 2010 that no parent should endure, and now he is confronting it all over again. The 60-year-old recently opened up about a heartbreaking loss of a family member, showing his mental grit behind this journey.

“I lost my son 16 years ago,” said Woods on last week’s episode of The Eddie Mata Show Podcast. “And I just lost my daughter in December to Leukemia.”

The 60-year-old played as a running back for the Bengals for four seasons from 1988 to 1991. He primarily played as a backup, featuring in 37 career games and registering 1525 receiving yards.

While he had a decent career on the gridiron, he had six children with his former wife, Chandra, in his personal life. His daughter passed away on December 5 at the age of 36, as he made the emotional revelation.

While it has been four months since the unfortunate incident, she has left five “beautiful” grandchildren with him. As per the former RB, his grandbabies are aged 16, 12, 8, 5, and 4. The eldest granddaughter, who is 16 at the moment, lives with his son-in-law, and the rest of them live with him. Out of the four grandkids who live with him, two are boys, and two are girls.

In their mother’s absence, Woods has taken full responsibility for their upbringing and well-being. His daughter was the second child the 60-year-old lost, with the first tragic incident taking place in 2010.

Ickey Woods’ teenage son died in 2010

Elbert Jovante Woods, who was the teenage son of Ickey Woods, passed away on August 14, 2010. He was only 16 years old at the time of his demise. Following in his father’s footsteps, he aspired to be a football player, but his dream was over before it had a chance to begin.

He studied at Princeton High School in Sharonville, Ohio, and was a starting cornerback there. He did a regular football practice in the morning of August 11, 2010, but started feeling sick in the evening before collapsing at his home. As a result, he was taken to the hospital, where he fought for his life for three days before passing away.

Jovante reportedly had an asthma problem from his childhood, with an official diagnosis happening at the age of 2. Hence, the youngest Woods siblings always took precautions of carrying an inhaler and asthma medications, and when he collapsed at his house, he also had an asthma flare.

Following his death, Ickey Woods founded the Jovante Woods Foundation in memory of his late son. The foundation donated $100,000 to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Asthma Center on his supposed 22nd birthday.