Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s parents supported him in achieving his athletic dreams.
The Saints announced Wednesday, December 18, 2024, that they have signed former Chiefs running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to the practice squad.
Highlights
- The Saints have officially signed the Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire to their practice squad.
- Clyde was born to his father, Clyde Edwards Sr., and his mother, Tongelia Helaire.
- His father was arrested in a d*ug case and sentenced to 30 years.
Edwards-Helaire, a 2020 first-round pick out of LSU, was waived by the Chiefs on Monday. After starting the season on the non-football illness list, he did not play in a game for the Chiefs this season.
During his time with the Chiefs, Edwards-Helaire missed some practices as a result of PTSD that partially stems from a 2018 incident while he was at LSU.
Two LSU football players were trying to sell an electronic item when one of them fatally shot an 18-year-old man attempting to rob them, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, police said.
The police didn’t identify the players, but The Associated Press reported that Edwards-Helaire was one of them.
Drafted 32nd overall by the Chiefs in 2020, he rushed for 803 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie but fell down the depth chart in his four seasons with the Chiefs, rushing for only 22 yards and a touchdown last year.
Helaire won a national championship at LSU in 2019 and two Super Bowls with the Chiefs.
He had 16 carries for 110 yards and caught five passes for 54 yards in LSU’s 42-25 win against Clemson in the national championship game at the Caesars Superdome.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s Mother, Tongelia, Married Shannon Helaire After Clyde’s Biological Father Was Arrested
The Saints RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, 25, was born on April 11, 1999, to his father, Clyde Edwards Sr., and his mother, Tongelia Helaire.
Edwards Sr. and Tongelia had never married. Tongelia, Edwards-Helaire’s mother, entered the US Army in 1996, while his father joined the US Marine Corps in 1989.
The couple first met while working as drill instructors at the Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in St. Gabriel, Louisiana.
Thanks for everything Baton Rouge. Can’t wait to tell Clyde Edwards-Helaire’s story next week! What a remarkable guy with a remarkable family. Thanks Tonge, Shannon and Clyde Sr. for your hospitality and stories #LSU #GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/rLL1zLcqrt
— Edward Aschoff (@AschoffESPN) November 14, 2019
At 17, Edwards Sr. came home one day to find his mother crying, stressed about paying the electric bill.
Without another parent, Edwards Sr. thought of how to make enough money to help her.
Clyde’s father had seen small-time drug dealers make quick money, knew a guy, and got his hands on some product. He sold the products to pay the electric and essential household bills.
A few years later, in March 2000, he was pulled out of bed and taken outside while sleeping, and police officers surrounded his house.
He was indicted on possession of more than 400 grams of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of a controlled, dangerous substance. He was convicted and sentenced to 30 years in prison.
Edward Sr. left behind his wife Tongelia and then eleven-month-old Clyde.
Just months after his arrest, Tongelia and Clyde’s stepfather Shannon Helaire met while working at Elayn Hunt Correctional Facility in St. Gabriel, Louisiana.
They got married in 2002, and Shannon and Clyde grew highly close over time, bonding over fishing and sports.
A young Clyde dazzled in neighborhood pickup games and was usually the only kid not getting touched in tag, so Shannon figured he’d probably be pretty good at football.
But his size worried his mother. Clyde was usually the smallest, and she didn’t want him getting hurt. She wanted him to run track or play basketball.
When Clyde was 14, he met with an attorney and legally changed his name to Clyde Edwards-Helaire.
He kept his biological father’s last name out of respect and added his stepfather’s to honor the man who had always been there.
However, Edwards Sr. was released early in February 2014 for good behavior, 14 years and one month after going to jail.
He is making an honest living selling used cars. He gifted Clyde a 2006, all-black Mustang GT.
Shannon, a former narcotics agent, said he didn’t judge Edwards based on his past but on how he presented himself to them.
The expected tension between two fathers of the same son was nonexistent.
Now, all three, along with Edwards’ wife, Michelle, sit near each other in the parents’ section at every home LSU game and some away games.
Additional Information
- Clyde Edwards-Helaire has an estimated net worth of around $2 million as of 2024.
- His wife JoJo O’Connor, 26, was born on December 18, 1998, and graduated in Women’s Studies in May 2021.
- JoJo has been working in the student staff community at STEM NOLA since 2019.
