It was more than just a playoff win.
Washington Commanders safety Jeremy Reeves proposed to longtime girlfriend Michaela Worley after the team clinched a playoff berth with a thrilling overtime victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Reeves, 28, ran up to Wally on the sideline at Northwest Maryland Stadium, got down on one knee and asked the physician assistant to marry him.
Wally, a former volleyball player at the University of Louisiana-Monroe, was seen crying as she knelt down, putting her hands on her face and saying, “That's right.”
Following the proposal, Reeves' teammates rushed to the happy couple to congratulate them.
Manager punter Torres Way hugged the pair as fans cheered in the stands above them as they headed to the locker room.
The safety said he has had the ring for some time and considered asking her out last week, but decided to wait until after Sunday night's game.
“That burned a hole in my pocket,” Reeves told The Associated Press.
But the match was even more shocking for the 28-year-old, as he knew his manager had to win in order to take the knee.
“I hate losing, so I couldn't do something like that in the right spirit after losing,” he said.
“If we win this game, it's destiny.”
Reeves said Wally was his “best friend since high school” and supported him through the ups and downs of his football career.
The safety said he knew Worley was who he was when he “got through the worst” after suffering a season-ending ACL tear in October 2023.
“She earned it. I can't say enough about her. Last year, when I was at my lowest, she picked me up every day. She showed up,” Reeves said. spoke.
“I went through the worst time last year with a torn ACL (rupture). I couldn’t do anything, I couldn’t be my own man, I couldn’t do it on my own. She was my rock.”
The former South Alabama star was undrafted by the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent in 2018, but was released shortly after.
Reaves was promoted to the active roster in 2019 and is in his sixth season with the Commanders.
The engagement was the crowning glory of an exciting night in Maryland.
The Commanders qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2020.
If the Commanders (11-5) win their final regular-season game in Dallas next weekend, they could move up to the No. 6 seed in the NFC and potentially play either Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round.
Otherwise, unless Green Bay loses to Chicago, they will finish seventh and visit division rival Philadelphia.
with post wire
