Rams coach Sean McVay, wife Veronika announce birth of son
THOUSAND OAKS — As he finished rattling through his list of practice participations, Rams head coach Sean McVay had a different kind of status update to provide.
He and his wife, Veronika Khomyn, welcomed their first child, Jordan John McVay into the world on Tuesday afternoon. Both the baby boy and Khomyn are doing well, McVay said before the Rams’ Wednesday practice.
“Everybody kind of tells you what to expect and it couldn’t even be as good as everybody says. And they certainly talked about what a special moment it was,” McVay said. “Just amazing how well my wife handled it and what a stud she was throughout that whole process. Even yesterday, and the people were amazing in terms of the nurses and the doctors and their help.”
Asked what ran through his head the first time he looked into his son’s eyes, McVay first cracked a joke before turning serious.
“Man, I feel bad, you look more like your dad than your mom,” McVay said. “It’s wild. I don’t think you can even put words to it. You guys know that have kids, it’s a special thing. He’s really alert and going through that process, but when you talk about even the changes in those couple hours, it’s amazing just how much goes on.”
McVay’s parents and cousin visited the new family of three in the hospital, and McVay said he would join them shortly after he concluded his work responsibilities for the day.
Asked if he had had any sleep in the last 24 hours, McVay answered in the negative.
“It’s a good adrenaline but at some point, it’s gonna hit me. I’d like to think I can push through but I don’t have the stamina that I used to,” said McVay, who is 37. When it was suggested that he’ll have time to sleep on the flight to this week’s road game against the Dallas Cowboys, he joked, “I’ll be out right away.”
Jordan McVay’s middle name holds a deep meaning for the McVay family. John McVay, Sean’s grandfather, was a long-time football coach and executive who was a major influence on Sean’s life.
John McVay died last year on Oct. 31, which was Jordan’s original due date.
“It’s kind of eerie how things work out,” McVay said. “If you don’t believe in a higher power, there’s certain things that occur that, man, you just realize there’s something special going on. I come from a family of faith, I’m a man of faith. The influence that you guys know my grandfather had on me, but also our family. He had a special relationship with Veronika as well, and so thought that was only appropriate to have his middle name after my grandfather and his legacy lives on. And I know he’s looking down smiling with what occurred yesterday.”
LA Rams Transactions:
• Delivered Jordan John McVay— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 25, 2023
As you’d expect entering Week 8 of the season, football topics soon took over McVay’s press conference.
He thanked former kicker Brett Maher for his contributions this season as he welcomed the newly-signed Lucas Havrisik and confirmed the Rams will work out more kickers this week.
McVay said special teams coaches Chase Blackburn and Jeremy Springer worked their network around the league to identify Havrisik. They liked the way the ball flew off his foot and his consistency with his approach, with former Rams kicker Matt Gay providing feedback after spending time with Havrisik with the Indianapolis Colts this season.
Havrisik has yet to play in a regular-season NFL game, which explains why the Rams are still conducting workouts, but McVay said he has no hesitation over Havrisik’s lack of experience.
“You gotta start somewhere,” McVay said. “So I don’t think that can make you gun shy. I think you want to be realistic about some of those spots.”
McVay was also asked about the Cowboys’ defense and the problems presented by having to game plan for the likes of linebacker Micah Parsons and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. As he explained the nuts and bolts of the challenge, a wry smile stretched across McVay’s face before he left the podium.
“As excited as I was yesterday, then once you really dive into the tape you’re thinking, ‘Maybe I should have stayed at the hospital.’”
Sean McVay talks fatherhood pic.twitter.com/wu31D4NGUv
— Adam Grosbard (@AdamGrosbard) October 25, 2023