The Followell family will tell you they had a tough year–marked by the loss of two of its members.
A tweet asking about tickets to the Dallas Cowboys game on Thanksgiving so that the Followells could celebrate the birthday of the family's maternal grandfather, Tony Modesto, was fulfilled in the best way possible.
Straight from the source, Micah Parsons– All-Pro linebacker for the Cowboys and a player many might argue is one of the best in the league–provided the family with the blue and silver lining they so needed during a very difficult year.
Brandon Followell, Monica and Clint’s oldest son, was only 22 years old when a car crash in Buda took him from the family on Aug. 20 of this year. The Followells, who are known locally for their ministry work at the First Baptist Church in San Marcos, were devastated by the loss of such a special person, who they described as having a larger than life personality.
“He was a ridiculous charmer. He could make you so mad, but in his own smooth talking way could manage a smile out of you,” Monica Followell said. “He loved football. He loved supporting his brothers in their activities. He was an athlete in high school.”
As if that was not hard enough, Monica Followell’s mom, Melissa Modesto, passed away from complications related to illness on Oct. 26. Monica described her as an adventurer like Brandon, coining them “kindred spirits.' Clint, Brandon and Melissa all did a high altitude skydive together on Brandon’s birthday.
“Her plan was to skydive with each of her grandkids when they turned 18 [years old]. She loved adrenaline like Brandon did,” Monica Followell said. “She was a pilot. That was her greatest joy.”
The week of Thanksgiving was hard for the family who would be missing two key members.
“Instead of crying over turkey, we figured we’d try to do something really different and nontraditional,” Monica Followell said, adding that they were hoping to buy tickets to the Cowboys game from someone who had them but wasn’t able to attend. “I put out the request [on X, formerly known as Twitter] … if anyone had Cowboys tickets.”
Clint Followell said that his friend tagged him in Parson’s post that said he would be giving away Thanksgiving day tickets. This led to an outpouring of support from other members of the fantasy football league that Clint participates in, The Scott Fish Bowl.
“They put me in the comments and said, ‘Hey this family has been through a lot. It would be really cool if they were the ones that got this,’” Scott Followell said. “The tweet blew up.”
Micah Parsons direct-messaged him, and let them know they would be getting the tickets.
Clint Followell said that another of his friends through the fantasy league works for Dez Bryant–a former Dallas Cowboy All-Pro wide receiver– who owns a company called Personal Corner. The business puts on tailgates, so the friend got the family passes to attend before the game.
Monica Followell said when Dez Bryant came out to take photos with the crowd, their sons, David and Asher, “were chomping at the bit” to get a photo with him.
“Our youngest has red curly hair, so we kind of just shoved him out there. He’s kind of hard to overlook even though he’s small. Instantly Dez Bryant … saw him and dabbed him up,' Monica Followell said, referencing the slang term for a fist-bump. "Then he dabbed up my 14-year-old … this is going to be the highlight of his entire year."
The Followells got the photo with Bryant that they were hoping for, and when they got to the game, they said they had great seats in the friends and family section.
“The cherry on the top for my sons, and even for me, was just [to] be able to [see DaRon] Bland, a cornerback, had his record setting … interception return for a touchdown,' Clint Followell said. “That was pretty cool to witness some history and see the cowboys really win definitively in the fourth quarter. It was just a lot of fun to be there with family and a great distraction for us.”
Parsons messaged them “Happy Thanksgiving” after the game, and Monica Followell said she was blown away by the fact that he would think of them following a big win.
She said she was never much of a football fan before, but saw it as something special she could share with her family. However, she is officially a huge fan of Micah Parsons and plans to write him a thank you card.
“The impact of that gift … It's so superficial, but the gravity that it carried for us it’s just going to stick with us for the rest of our lives,” Monica Followell said. “To make something good out of something really difficult, and I know my oldest son that we lost would have really enjoyed being there that day with his brothers. They all really have a love for football.”
Clint Followell said that shortly after Brandon passed away someone explained to them that you need one thing to get you through a traumatic experience.
Monica’s saving grace was that God is good; Clint’s was that they were loved, and he believes those two things together are what are going to get them through these trying times.
