What happened to Tee Higgins' father Eric? All about Bengals WR's father's tragic demise

Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins spoke about his dad's tragic death in an episode of "Mobil 1: Behind the Drive with Tee Higgins" on the "I AM ATHLETE" show. During the episode, Joe Burrow's favorite target spoke about the "toughest period of his life."

Tee was born to Eric Higgins and Camillia Stewart in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA. While growing up, Tee Higgins didn't spend much time with his father, as Eric Higgins spent much time in prison.

Tee said: "I grew up with obviously my father was in my life, but now he was in prison for the most part, and he was finally able to get out, finally got to come to see me play football."

However, the pacey pass catcher reminisced on the joy he felt when his late father attended his NFL games after getting released from prison.

Sadly, his father passed away just before his 23rd birthday in 2022. Tee spoke of the moment as " one of the lowest points of my life, because I was just so happy to finally have him back….and it's hard to stay strong when he passed away."

The Cincinnati Bengals star wide receiver remembers his father and honors him by performing on the gridiron.

---

Who was Tee Higgins' father, Eric Higgins?

According to Oak Ridger, Eric Higgins was an avid outdoorsman who worked as a truck driver for DCI, located in Knoxville, Tennessee. Eric was also the father of NFL star Tee Higgins, who plays for beaten Super Bowl LVI finalists, the Cincinnati Bengals.

Eric Higgins was born in Chicago, Illinois, on Sept. 11, 1969. He had Tee with Camilla Stewart in 1999. Moreover, he fathered nine other children: Shanequa Higgins-Delashment, Shauna Johnson, Keke Stewart, Ariyka Higgins, Eric Higgins, Jr., Angelo Higgins, Aaron Higgins, Daylin Higgins and Drelyn Higgins.

Eric Higgins died in 2022. Mike Petraglia of the Cincinnati Observer first reported the news of his passing. Petraglia said that Tee could not practice for personal reasons; his dad passed away before the season opener.

---

Tee Higgins shares a tight bond with his family

Aside from his late father, Tee shares a close bond with the rest of his family, especially his mother, Camilla Stewart, also known as Lady Stewart.

Just look at the family's reaction during Super Bowl LVI when Tee's Bengals faced off against the Los Angeles Rams. Tee said that having his mom at the Super Bowl was unbelievable, especially after enduring past struggles.

After his tough childhood, his mother's substance abuse problems and his father's prison stint, his mother's presence at the big game felt like a miracle.