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Raiders rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza is about more than football.
While the reigning Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft was leading Indiana to a national championship last season, the story of Mendoza’s mother, Elsa, was inspiring countless sports fans.
Elsa Mendoza was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2008 and is still battling the autoimmune disease. She’s confined to a wheelchair, but that hasn’t kept her from attending as many of Mendoza’s games as possible.
Elsa celebrated her birthday on Thursday. Fernando commemorated this with a touching photo he posted on Instagram, which showed him as a child sitting on his mother’s lap in front of a birthday cake.
“Happy birthday Mami ❤️,” the post was captioned.
Fernando’s parents have to make some tough choices when deciding where to spend their weekends. Fernando’s younger brother, Alberto, is Georgia Tech’s starting quarterback.
Since Alberto is starting and Fernando is the Raiders’ backup, perhaps Elsa and her husband, Fernando Sr., are more inclined to watch Alberto’s games.
But Raiders fans can surely expect to see a lot of the Mendoza family in the future once Fernando takes the starting quarterback job.
