DJ Turner went from benched to Bengals captain. His mom explains how

· Yahoo Sports

If you’ve attended or watched a Cincinnati Bengals game, have you ever wondered how a player like DJ Turner decided he wanted to be a football player? And how he made it happen?

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Donyale Turner, mother of Bengals cornerback DJ Turner, is featured in episode two of The Enquirer’s special-edition podcast series “Beyond Sunday" spotlighting five moms of Bengals players. Donyale explains how her son got into football and talks about watching him create a role for himself at the University of Michigan and now becoming a starting cornerback for the Bengals.

The podcast series will publish on Cincinnati.com every Wednesday morning from Oct. 21 to Nov. 18.

Other special guests include Nikki Mims, mother of Bengals offensive tackle Amarius Mims, and Lady Higgins, mother of wide receiver Tee Higgins. Robin Burrow, mother of quarterback Joe Burrow, was featured on episode one.

Donyale Turner talks DJ Turner's childhood outside Atlanta, his football journey to the Cincinnati Bengals and more

Donyale Turner talks about:

  • How she takes zero credit for getting Turner into football. She said when her son was a baby, they would lay him down on the couch and he would be glued to the television. When commercials would come on, he would get restless. And when the game came back on, he was happy again. “He couldn’t wait to be six years old, because that’s when they could play football in Gwinnett County,” she said. DJ was born and raised in Gwinnett County, a suburb 40 minutes north of Atlanta.
  • How after winning a state championship at North Gwinnett High School during his junior year, DJ attended IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, for his senior year. IMG Academy is a prep school widely known for its elite sports programs. Donyale explains why she and husband Juan Drago allowed DJ to attend IMG. “Let’s do this precollege thing,” Donyale said. “Let’s see who he is when we’re not there.”
  • Why DJ decided to attend Michigan? Donyale said it was all about the education he would get.
  • Watching DJ handle adversity early in his pro career and how proud she is of what he’s accomplished. DJ Turner was told he wouldn’t be a starter ahead of the 2025 season opener and then went on to win his job back and have his best season to date. “Adversity is not a stranger to DJ,” Donyale said. “He never was that guy on Day 1; that’s never been his story. We’ve always raised him and his sister with no excuses.”

How to watch previous 'Beyond Sunday' podcast episodes with Robin Burrow and more guests

If you did not catch previous “Beyond Sunday” episodes, here is where you can find them:

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: DJ Turner went from benched to Bengals captain. His mom explains how

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