Tyler Boyd’s mom reflects on her son’s journey from Clairton to the Super Bowl – CBS Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) – Most people in western Pennsylvania will watch the Super Bowl, but few will watch as intently as Tyler Boyd’s mother.

Tonya Payne-Scott and her family will be at the game Sunday in Los Angeles. But before she left, she spent some time with KDKA-TV’s Rich Walsh reminiscing about how her son made the journey from the humble streets of Clairton to football’s biggest stage .

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Payne-Scott has many fond memories of his days as a young footballer. She’s watched him progress from Clairton High to the Pitt Panthers and now the Super Bowl with the Cincinnati Bengals.

“It makes me really proud,” says Payne-Scott. “They always say, ‘Pace yourself.’ But I just do what I think I have to do as a mother.”

But it’s not always easy. Payne-Scott raised his three sons as a single father. Their father was not a member of the family while his son was making a name for himself on the football field. When Boyd was winning the championship at Clairton, his father was convicted of drug charges and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Payne-Scott fought hard to keep her boys on track.

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“I can’t teach them to be what I am not,” says Payne-Scott. “I’m not a man. All I can really do is teach them what they’re supposed to be, try to make sure they understand this is the way they need to go, not the way they are. must be on the street because that was a reality. Not just in the neighborhood we lived in but for our dad. He ended up on the street, so it’s a reality.”

Unfortunately, that fact hasn’t changed for the kids growing up in Clairton, and that’s why Payne-Scott remains in charge of the Western Pennsylvania Youth Athletes Association. The goal of the organization is to help children focus on sports and schoolwork while keeping them out of the way.

“It’s great to see the kids who learn through our program excel at the high school level,” she said. “A lot of kids are signing letters expressing their intention to go on to college. It’s great to know that when you come to our program, whether you make it to the NFL or not, you must at least have a college education that you will be able to return to, and education is important. most important. ”

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As a former teacher, Payne-Scott knows a thing or two about the importance of education, and KDKA-TV’s Rich Walsh says the “former teacher” because of her son’s success has allowed her to retire and relax. relax, except when she is working to help other young athletes become as successful as her son.