Jonathan Mingo opens up about heartbreaking family tragedy that moved Panthers fans to tears

Charlotte, North Carolina, November 7, 2025
In the middle of a difficult season, the Carolina Panthers have suddenly become the center of one of the most emotional stories in the NFL. Jonathan Mingo, the team’s young wide receiver, has revealed the painful family tragedy that almost made him walk away from football forever.

A childhood marked by hardship

Mingo was born in Brandon, Mississippi, into a modest working-class family. His father worked in construction, and his mother, Tanya Mingo, was a nurse at a local hospital. But when Jonathan was just 16, Tanya was diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer.
The illness progressed rapidly, sending the family into an emotional and financial spiral. Mingo had to balance schoolwork with part-time jobs at a grocery store to help pay for his mother’s medical bills.

“I can still hear the sound of the ventilator,” Mingo recalled tearfully. “Every night, I’d come home and see her getting weaker. Some nights, I just sat beside her, holding her hand without saying a word.”

Despite her pain, Tanya never missed one of her son’s games. She used to say that “seeing Mingo smile on the field was the only medicine that still worked.”

The tragedy and a final promise

When Mingo entered his senior year of high school, his mother’s condition worsened. She passed away in March 2019, just weeks before he officially committed to Ole Miss.
After the funeral, Mingo told his father he was done with football—that he had lost all motivation to continue.
But one day, while cleaning out his mother’s things, he found a small folded note inside her bedside drawer. Written in shaky handwriting were just a few lines:

“Don’t stop. Play for both of us. One day, the world will know the name Mingo.”

That note still sits in his wallet every time he walks onto the field.

From pain to purpose

At Ole Miss, Mingo played as if every down was a tribute to her memory. The college years weren’t easy—injuries, pressure, and loneliness followed him everywhere—but he never quit.

“Whenever I fell, I thought of my mom,” he said quietly. “And I got back up. Every single time.”

That resilience made Mingo a symbol of the “Keep Pounding” spirit—the mantra that defines the Carolina Panthers.

Tears after triumph

When Mingo was drafted by the Panthers in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, he couldn’t hold back his tears. Looking up at the sky, he whispered,

“Mom, I made it.”

Today, even as the Panthers struggle on the field, fans still see in Mingo a spark that refuses to die—a living example of strength forged in heartbreak.

Before ending his interview, Mingo said one final sentence that left the entire room silent:

“I promise, one day, my mom will see her son lift the Lombardi Trophy for Carolina.”