Getty Isaiah McKenzie celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
Buffalo Bills wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie gave quite the introduction for his unborn nephew.
McKenzie caught the go-ahead touchdown in Buffalo’s 31-10 drubbing of the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday, and celebrated with a nationally televised gender reveal. Video of the celebration attracted some viral attention, and McKenzie opened up about the moment on Friday.
McKenzie Helps Out His Sister
After failing to keep his hands on a pass in the first half and coughing the ball up to the Rams for an interception, McKenzie redeemed himself in the second half. With the game tied at 10 in the third quarter and the Bills deep in Los Angeles territory, McKenzie caught a seven-yard touchdown pass from Josh Allen to give the Bills a lead they would not relinquish.
After grabbing the touchdown, McKenzie sought out the television camera and delivered a message to his family.
“It’s a boy!” he shouted, revealing the gender of his sister’s unborn baby.
The Bills shared a video of McKenzie’s celebration, showing his family erupting into cheers after he made the nationally televised announcement.
Football and family. 🥺
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As the video was getting some viral attention on social media, a fan asked what McKenzie had planned if he didn’t happen to catch a touchdown.
“I GUESS WE WILL NEVER KNOW,” McKenzie tweeted in reply.
McKenzie’s New Role With Bills
After four seasons where he served mostly as a return specialist and jet-sweep threat out of the backfield, McKenzie is moving into a bigger role with the Bills this season. After the departure of starting slot receiver Cole Beasley, McKenzie won the starting job with strong performances in training camp and the preseason, beating out veteran Jamison Crowder and rookie Khalil Shakir.
Though McKenzie has become a fan favorite largely for his big personality and service to fans, fellow wide receiver Stefon Diggs said he’s actually one of the hardest workers on the team.
“I know the media, you kind of get lost in the good times of it, and the jokes of it, but he works extremely hard,” Diggs told the Buffalo News. “One thing about ‘Lil’ Dirty’ is he puts a lot of time in. He’s super fast, he’s dedicated to his craft, and he’s been consistent. That’s why you can trust him. You can hang your hat on that. Lil’ Dirty is gonna do his job.”
McKenzie said he wants to defy the perception that you can’t be both fun-loving and hard-working.
“You’re not supposed to have a smile on your face. You’re supposed to look like you work hard every day,” McKenzie told the Buffalo News. “For me, I know I work hard every day. They see it. It shows each and every year when I come out here and I do make the team when I’m on the bubble, or when I do get my opportunities, I seize those opportunities, because I’ve been working for them.
“Even though I’ve got a smile on my face, I joke around, I still handle what I’ve got to handle off the field, in the weight room, in the meeting room, I still handle my business … but at the same time I still want to be me. I want to have a smile on my face. I want to have fun, I want to keep everybody up when they’re down.”