Faith, family and football has been and remains the order of importance for
defensive end
.
Over the past nine months, all three have been tested.
"Without a doubt, this has been the toughest year of my life. There is a lot of stuff that people don't know about," Mathis said.
At his suburban Indianapolis home, the 12-year NFL veteran reflects on what a year it's been. It all began over the offseason, when the league suspended Mathis four games for using the fertility drug Clomid.
During the suspension, there was a ray of hope, when Robert and his wife Brandi gave birth to their fourth child, a little girl named Brielle Emma-Rose Mathis.
Then Mathis was dealt another blow, this time during a training session in his home town of Atlanta, tearing the Achilles tendon in his left foot.
"Getting hurt, devastating. I just literally wanted to cry when it happened," Mathis said.
But Mathis dealt with the injury the same way he dealt with the suspension, with the help and support of his family. That is until his biggest supporter lost her biggest battle. Robert's mother, Emma Mathis, lost her battle with cancer in October of this year.
"(She's) the only person in the world who knows my high school number, my college number and my professional jersey number. She made all those games. Tough to watch our high school, 3-7. Still, she was at all those games. She would get through it."
For more than a decade, Robert has kept his emotions on the field. But just weeks after the loss of his mother, emotions overtook the Colts all-time sacks leader.
Wiping away tears, Robert described the moment when he know football would be the ticket to helping he and his family get out of Atlanta.
"I'm home from college, there's a knock at the door, wakes me up, it's the US Marshal - 'You got to get out'," Mathis recalled.
The landlord from whom Emma rented the East Point neighborhood home had failed to pay the mortgage. Authorities were there to evict the tenants and seize the home.
"Her response to that situation lit a fire that is still burning right now," said the NFL Pro Bowler. "She came home and just helpless crying, crocodile tears coming down her face...I felt helpless. As long as I have breath in my body, this will never happen again. She will be comfortable. I thank God every day that he allowed me to carry that mission out. It means a lot to me. I'm forever indebted to my mom because of that."
While 2014 has brought pain and tragedy to Robert. He's also found immense joy, signing a contract extension which will keep him in Indianapolis through the 2016 season while working on the two most important job titles he holds - father and husband.
"Time is running out. I want to maximize every year, every play any and every opportunity that I get. I have two boys watching me. I'm their first hero. The look they give me is like - being proud of their dad," Mathis said. "And to be her first crush, my older daughter, to be her first crush. I need to set the bar high so they don't settle, they're not going to settle."
