Diego Pavia's mom, Antoinette Padilla, got a lot of attention at the Vanderbilt-Kentucky game.
Pavia is Vanderbilt's QB, he broke a single-game passing record, and he's a possible Heisman Trophy contender, but all some people wanted to talk about was his mom.
The ESPN cameras seemed to find Pavia's mother a lot, and she was escorted on the field by podcaster Theo Von, while wearing a jersey and black boots.
Not that this bothered many fans, who sent Pavia's mom viral on social media - again.
"ESPN has an obsession with Diego Pavia’s mom. Showing her after every play. Not complaining," wrote one fan on X.
"Diego Pavia's mom is ready for a shot at a Heisman," wrote another fan, sharing a viral video showing Pavia's mother clutching a football.
People created memes and jokes that spread on social media. Some focused on the heavy airtime the ESPN cameras gave Padilla.
"One thing ESPN is gonna do is show Diego Pavia’s mom EVERY chance they get," wrote another person, with a laughing crying emoji, sharing a video of Padilla walking on the field.
In October, Von crashed a podcast interview Pavia was doing to put his arm around the quarterback's mom, according to The New York Post.
According to The Sporting News, Von confirmed to sideline reporter Cole Cubelic that he had bet Pavia that if Vanderbilt won a key game, Pavia "would set Von up on a date with his mother."
Pavia clarified the bet on X, writing, "What @TheoVon forgot is, I said it was a deal if and only if he told @tatemcrae to lemme take her on A1 date in Nashville. Twitter, make it happen."
“My goal is, I would like to marry a nurse one day,” Von told Cubelic, according to AL.com. “I don’t even know if I’d do it. I like being (Pavia’s) friend. I don’t want to end up being like his stepdad or something.” Padilla is a nurse, AL.com reported.
It's not clear whether the date occurred.
In an interview with The Athletic, Pavia gave his mom a shout-out, saying that her philosophy for life helped him succeed.
“My mom, she’s hard-hat, lunch-pail. She grew up with 13 brothers and sisters in a single home,” Pavia said in that interview, which noted, "Not until he was older, Pavia said, did he come to realize those nights his mother said she wasn’t hungry and ate only a little at dinner, she was making sure her kids had enough to eat."
