(WFRV) - On Sunday, January 7, 2024, Packers rookie wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks caught six passes for 61 yards, two of his receptions ended up being the only touchdowns of the game in a 17-9 playoff-clinching win over the Bears. Prior to this week 18 matchup for Green Bay, Wicks had only two TD's on his ledger. A game to remember for the former Virginia Cavalier, and one that included a heavy heart.
"I cried on the sideline, that's never happened, so yeah this is going to go down as one of the best days I've had," said a very emotional Wicks.
His palpable emotions had internal meaning due to the date he put on his best NFL performance. It was a day he should've been celebrating alongside his former UVA teammate, Lavel Davis Jr., but a moment stripped away back in November of 2022.
Wicks posted this photo on Instagram prior to the Packers final regular season game, paying respects to Davis, who was fatally shot back on November 13, 2022, along with two other Cavalier football players.
"Even if you look at that picture that Tay posted, those are my two sons in the picture," said former Virginia wide receivers coach Marques Hagans. "It was always like, in my absence (when I'd go recruit), they'd have big brothers...this has affected my family very deeply because they were really close to Lavel."
That family bond, often presented by Davis and Wicks, became a tie that brought the two together from the jump. When Davis first stepped on Virginia's campus for his official visit, Wicks was his "officially visit player," tasked with showing him the ins and outs of what the university had to offer. When Lavel committed to continue his football career in Charlottesville, that relationship continued.
During a breakout, All-American year for Davis, Wicks was sidelined due to injury. That same fate would reverse roles the season after, as Dontayvion returned, and Lavel had to take a step back. But all that did was strengthen the connection between the two.
"We were together a lot, I know he looked up to me, so I took him under my wing," said Wicks.
"I think just watching it over time as both, at one point in their career, was watching the other while being injured, just showed them there are ways to support each other and love each other even if you're not involved playing on the field beside each other," said Hagans, now the wide receivers coach at Penn State.
It was never a question if the two would get along because as Hagans saw first hand, they both made a concerted effort to be around each other as much as possible.
"They were such a good tandem, they pushed each other so much every day," said Hagans. "One would say, 'what time can you meet coach?', and then the other would text me, 'when's Tay's meeting, when's Lavel's meeting?', and I would give them the times. They would always want to meet together and would always want to hear the coaching points of each other."
A seemingly unbreakable bond that surfaced into the spotlight on what would've been Davis' 22nd birthday. Wicks' third-ever two touchdown game (college and pro) propelling the Packers to the playoffs for the first time since 2021, a year that Lavel and Dontayvion spent with each other at UVA.
A game and moment that Wicks will never forget.
"That was my brother so his birthday being (the day of the Bears game), it was big time," said Wicks. "It's a feeling I'm not going to forget because everything happened as I wanted it to on his birthday, and his mom (and family) can see that."
Now with the playoffs on the horizon, Wicks prepares for a game against the Cowboys, still with a heavy heart, one that'll never leave him.
"Some people might move on, but Tay will never move on," said Hagans. "He'll always hold that, he'll always carry that, whether he's playing or not. That's just a testament to his loyalty and heart, it's who he is. Lavel with be a part of Tay's life as long as he's on this earth, and whether he's playing or not, he'll find a way to honor his life and legacy because that's who Tay is... that's the impact that Lavel had on him and that's the impact that Tay will have being able to live out the legacy of Lavel, and honor him how he plays."
The former Cavaliers, who wore #1 and #3, are living out their NFL dream together, represented by Wicks' jersey number 13. The life and legacy of Davis, a wideout who had dreams of playing in the pros, played a major part in an emotional performance on January 7, 2024, and will forever tag along as an extension of his former teammate, and chosen brother.
"We made it," said Wicks, when asked what he'd say to Davis. "Every game, that's who I'm playing for."