NFL Running Back Ricky Watters: How Adoption Shaped My Life

Drop us some Fan Mail. Thanks! Join us for this interview with former NFL Running Back and Super Bowl Champion Ricky Watters. He is an adoptee, an adoptive dad, and author of a new children’s book on adoption, A Gift Called Shane . In this episode, we discuss: How old were you when you learned you were adopted and how did you find out? When you discovered you were adopted, you mentioned in your NFL movie that it put a big chip on your shoulder. How has that chip served you well as an adoptive dad? How has it been a detriment? Why did you decide to adopt? Why did you decide to adopt internationally? Did your experience with finding out late that you were adopted affect the way you discussed adoption with your son? Do you see any signs of a similar “chip” in your son that you had when you found out you were adopted? How do you help him navigate it for his own success? How did you prepare your biological son for the adoption of his brother? How do you support your adopted son in his questions about identity, birth family, etc.? Are you in reunion with your biological family? How has your adoptive family handled your reunion with your birth family? How excited were you for fellow hometown boy Shady McCoy to get into the Eagles Hall of Fame? What was your experience with playing at Notre Dame? Support the show Please leave us a rating or review. This podcast is produced by . We are a national non-profit with the mission to strengthen and inspire adoptive, foster & kinship parents and the professionals who support them. Creating a Family brings you the following trauma-informed, expert-based content: Weekly podcasts Weekly articles/blog posts Resource pages on all aspects of family building

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NFL Running Back Ricky Watters: How Adoption Shaped My Life is an episode from Creating a Family: Talk about Adoption & Foster Care by Creating a Family.

This episode is 44:29 long.

This episode was published on Apr 29, 2026.

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