Tennessee’s Nashville Robert Farley’s phone rang as he was playing spades at a card table. On the other end was his son Caleb, who started crying as he explained that he had recently torn his knee’s ACL.
At the time, Caleb was a freshman wide receiver at Virginia Tech and felt that his playing days were numbered.
Robert remarked, “Okay, it’s all right,” thinking back to that exchange from 2017. “No, sweetheart, with the current state of medicine and everything, they’ll have you well again in no time. Your professional life is yet ahead of you.”
Robert was accurate. The Tennessee Titans selected Caleb, who went on to become one of the best cornerback prospects, with the 22nd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft
The injury to the knee proved to be a godsend. Caleb had opportunity to see his mother, Robin, in Maiden, North Carolina, when he wasn’t playing. She was receiving treatment for cancer for the second time. When Caleb was in junior high school, she was initially diagnosed with breast cancer; however, after two years of treatment, the disease went into remission.
However, the cancer came again, and this time it was too severe; at the age of 53, Robin passed away. However, Caleb’s faith was ultimately reinforced by the lessons he gained from his mother’s battle with cancer, and these lessons also equipped him to handle the health issues that would arise before he could fulfill his NFL ambition.
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