By JAKE NISSE
Published: 22:04 BST, 24 April 2025 | Updated: 22:11 BST, 24 April 2025
While country music singer Stephen Wilson Jr. will be performing the national anthem at the NFL Draft tonight, he nearly experienced a family tragedy earlier this month.
Wilson was set to perform at the charity festival Hogs for the Cause in New Orleans, but he announced on April 3 that his mother was in the ICU and ‘fighting’ to stay alive after an ATV accident.
Wilson shared with his fans that she was life-lined from a cornfield before saying that she would be undergoing surgery the following day.
‘I love her dearly & I can not leave her at this moment,’ he wrote in a statement posted to social media.
‘… We are praying for a full recovery for her. thank you for understanding.’
Thankfully, Wilson’s prayers were answered as he announced two days later that his mother had been stabilized and had made ‘great progress.’
Stephen Wilson Jr. will perform the national anthem at the NFL Draft on Thursday night
The Draft is being held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with Wilson’s performance coming at 7:45ET
Wilson ended that statement by saying that his scheduled show for April 6 in Georgetown, Texas would go on.
He has not posted about his mother’s condition since, though he wrote on Thursday that he was ‘honored’ to perform at the Draft.
Last year, the ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ was performed by Caleb Carroll.
Wilson’s performance will come at 7:45ET before the Draft kicks off in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The first round of the NFL Draft, or 32 picks, will be held on Thursday, with the second and third rounds set to be completed on Friday.
Rounds four, five, six and seven will then be held on Saturday.
