Arlington Sam Houston football dies after long battle with COVID-19-NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

A popular high school coach from Arlington has died after a long battle against COVID-19, the family says.

Arlington Sam Houston High School coach Joey Rodriguez died Sunday afternoon, according to a message shared on social media by his wife Lena Rodriguez.

“My love has gone into eternity, where he can now be the father of our three babies in heaven. At 5:45 pm tonight, Lord Joey welcomed him to his eternal home. Thank you so much for your prayers and support. More words will come later, but I have very few right now, ” Lena wrote online. “Such sad on earth, but rejoice in heaven. Joey, you are and will always be the strongest man I know.”

Rodriguez had been battling COVID-19 for more than a month. NBC 5 spoke with his family in mid-September and learned that the father of three had been diagnosed several years ago with an autoimmune disorder that turned simple colds into pneumonia.

When Rodriguez tested positive for COVID-19 even though he had been vaccinated, Lena knew it could be serious.

“We’re still in elementary school, I’m an elementary school teacher, our kids are in school, and there are no mandates. So you almost felt it was a matter of time because this new variant is so strong,” Lena Rodriguez told NBC 5 in September.

Since the school year began, the Arlington Independent School Board twice refused to pass a mask mandate citing “personal choice” and the threat of trial from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who promised to sue those who ignored Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in the schools.

The longtime football coach at Arlington ISD’s Sam Houston High School is in the hospital fighting for his life after being infected with COVID-19, his family says.

Rodriguez was placed on a ventilator at Mansfield Methodist Medical Center last month and only his wife was allowed to visit him.

“The first few times it was really hard,” Lena Rodriguez told NBC 5 in September. “To actually see on your own how ugly this virus and this disease can be for someone you love with everything in you, it’s a part of you, father of your children.”

Rodriguez family photo

Joey and Lena Rodriguez hold hands in his Mansfield hospital room. She is the only person allowed to visit her husband.

As Rodriguez continued to fight, his wife visited his football team, which then sent a signed jersey to be hung in his hospital room.

Funeral arrangements are underway. Lena Rodriguez said on Twitter that her husband’s memorial will be held in North Texas “and I would love to see the football community celebrate her life and her legacy with us.”

A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help the family cover the cost of Rodriguez’s funeral.

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