'We love Eileen': Packers' Za'Darius Smith offers a touching post-sack tribute against 49ers

JR Radcliffe | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Green Bay Packers rising star Za'Darius Smith has found a number of unusual ways to celebrate sacks this season, and the latest entry into his celebratory canon involved a touching tribute.

After Smith took down San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo in the second quarter Sunday night and boosted his season sack total to 9.5, he pulled down an undershirt to show the camera a message of "We love Eileen."

Lily Zhao of WFRV-TV in Green Bay tweeted out before the game that Smith was wearing the undershirt to honor the mother of someone on the Packers' equipment staff who's battling an illness, presumably breast cancer given the familiar pink ribbon.

One of the #Packers equipment staff members’ moms is sick. Za’Darius Smith told me he’s gonna flash this “We ❤️ Eileen” undershirt if he can get a sack tonight. She’s a huge fan of the Pack. pic.twitter.com/A9Plv8fZKj — Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) November 24, 2019

George Balejki of NBC15 in Madison identified the staff member as Ben Brooker.

There it is. Za'Darius Smith sack, and a show of support to Packers' equipment staffer, Ben Brooker and his mother, Eileen who is sick. More than just football. https://t.co/4eC8znoo16 pic.twitter.com/rAo3XYxW81 — George Balekji NBC15 (@GeorgeBalekji) November 25, 2019

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.