Vega Ioane’s Draft Moment Was Bigger Than FootballFor Vega Ioane, getting drafted wasn’t just about hearing his name called. It was about who he got to share it with.

In a whirlwind 24 hours that included little sleep and a life-changing moment, it was the quiet, personal memories that stuck with him the most. When asked about the most memorable moment since being drafted, Ioane pointed straight to his family.

“I’d say [there were] two big moments. When I put the hat on my dad, he didn’t take it off for the next two hours. He left the hat on the entire time. After that, we took a picture as a whole family. I have eight siblings. I'm the ninth and the youngest one. We're all standing there [for the photo], [with] nice little view in the back. It's my entire family. That's my whole reason of [me] being here, making it this far. Those people are my why. Like I said before, I did this for them, and seeing that come to fruition, like you said, that's a big part to me.”

Before the games, before the expectations, before anything else — Ioane knows exactly why he’s here. And that foundation tends to travel pretty well once the real work begins.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Vega Ioane's draft day was all about his family