Super Bowl 50 'surreal' for Panthers players' N.J. family

Damiere Byrd of Gloucester Township will be on the sidelines of Super Bowl 50 as a member of the Carolina Panthers' practice squad.

GLOUCESTER TWP. -- For Dana Byrd and her husband Adrian, boarding a plane to California this week was surreal, but represents the culmination of years of work as parents to see their son achieve something he's always dreamed of.

Their son, Damiere Byrd, will be on the field at Levi's Stadium for Super Bowl 50 this Sunday, joining his fellow Carolina Panthers players.

Damiere byrd, 23 of Gloucester Township, will be on the field with the Carolina Panthers' practice squad at Superbowl 50 Sunday, Feb. 5, 2016. Submitted photo 

A graduate of Timber Creek High School and the University of South Carolina, 23-year-old Damiere Byrd is on the Panthers' practice squad. He made the team as an undrafted free agent this year.

"He sacrificed a whole lot," his mom said Wednesday as she prepared to get on a plane Thursday. "He's worked hard his entire career so far to get to this point at a professional level."

Throughout high school and college he skipped a lot of social events in order to focus on football, she added, helping lead him to the NFL and the Superbowl.

Dana Byrd, who works as an ICU nurse at Kennedy University Hospital, and her husband will be in the stands to see their son on the field, despite the fact that he might not see any playing time in the big game.

As a member of the practice squad, Damiere isn't expected to play much, if at all, but that doesn't make him less a part of the team.

"There's so many different levels to this profession," Danay Byrd said. "He's really enjoying it. It's such a big deal.""

As his parents, they'll be there to watch and support Damiere, and, of course, hopefully cheering the Panthers to victory.

"We just focus on being his parents and keeping him focused and encouraged on what he's doing," Dana Byrd said. "As long as he's happy we're ecstatic about everything."

 Rebecca Forand may be reached at rforand@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @RebeccaForand. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.