Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer almost broke down in tears after being asked a question about his wife in a press conference on Thursday.
Schottenheimer, the son of the late NFL head coach Marty Schottenheimer, married wife Gemmi back in 2002.
They have been in a relationship together for over 20 years and share two children: son Sutton, 21, and daughter Savannah, 20.
Schottenheimer, 52, was asked by a reporter ‘what message he would give to the brides and to the players to make a marriage work in this football life’.
He started to answer by saying: ‘Well, number one I think it’s the most important decision that you make in your life. I know I would not be there, I don’t want to get emotional talking about my wife but…’
It was at that point that Schottenheimer’s voice started to crack and it was evident he was desperately fighting back tears.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer almost broke down in tears when asked about his wife
Schottenheimer married wife Gemmi in 2002 and they share children Sutton and Savannah
Schottenheimer is about to enter his second season as head coach of the Cowboys
He managed to continue, adding: ‘I know I would not be here if it wasn’t for her. But it’s the biggest decision you’re going to make in your life.
‘In this business you better find somebody that’s independent because they wear a lot of hats.
‘Whether it’s chasing owls out of the house or things like that, moving. She doesn’t want me around when we move. She wants me out of the house and some place else.
‘You find the right one, you’ve got to communicate. It’s never 50-50, it’s usually 70-30, 80-20, 20-80 and you just appreciate that. I’m very blessed.’
Gemmi first met Schottenheimer’s dad, Marty, while working as an assistant to him with the then-Washington Redskins.
‘When I met Brian, I didn’t even know that he was Marty’s son in the beginning,’ she revealed. ‘So it was just kind of unique for me to transition into a daughter-in-law.’
Marty was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2014 and eventually died in February 2021 at the age of 77.
Schottenheimer is about to enter his second season as head coach of the Cowboys and is looking to build on a promising first year.
While they finished 7-9-1 thanks to one of the worst defenses in the NFL, Dallas picked up impressive wins over the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles in successive games at AT&T Stadium.
After being Dallas’ offensive coordinator for the past two seasons, Schottenheimer was promoted to head coach as the successor to Mike McCarthy. He had been an offensive coordinator since 2006 with stints at the New York Jets, St. Louis Rams and Seattle Seahawks.
