It's a total trip for Marcellas Dial Jr. when he watches his daughter, Mila Rae.
She's just under a year old, but still, he can't help but see his late father in her mannerisms.

"In a way she reminds me of my dad," Dial Jr. said adoringly. "Her antics – the way she opens her mouth with her tongue out, or rubbing her ear – all stuff my dad used to do. It's so crazy, all these little things. Genetics are crazy."

Baby Mila will never get to meet her grandfather, who she shares her initials with, but Dial Jr. believes his father picked her out in Heaven just for him.

"I definitely have faith that that's what happened because she reminds me so much of him," Dial Jr. added. "It's no coincidence. She reminds me of him so much."

Even before his daughter was born, not a day went by where Dial Jr. didn't think about his father, who passed away in July of 2021 after years of alcoholism built up to cirrhosis of his liver. Marcellas Dial Sr. was just 42 years old.

To call it a shock would have been an understatement.

"We were really, really close," Dial Jr. said. "We talked every day, before and after practice. Really, he was the parent I was closest to. I talked to him every day. That's why it was crazy, because you would never know that he had a drinking problem, you know? He tried to stop but he couldn't because his body had become so used to it. That was the way he could function, was when he did drink, so that's why it hit me so hard when it happened. I was so close to him."

When Dial Jr. talks about his dad, he beams about how intelligent he was.

Dial Sr. was his son's favorite person – the center of attention and a goofball who was always joking around to put a smile on everyone's face. He was a man of high faith and even in his darkest struggles, he was always positive.

"You know what they say," Dial Jr. said. "Sometimes the happiest people are going through the most in their life."

That is what ate away at Dial Jr. for a while.

When his parents split, Dial Jr. and his siblings moved an hour away with their mother. They still saw their father on weekends, but he was living alone with no one to hold him accountable on a day-to-day basis.

About a year before his passing, Dial Sr. was hospitalized – the first clear sign to his children that something was going on. Things seemed alright after that, but Dial Sr. relapsed, and his second hospitalization was the beginning of the end.

Dial Jr. recalls his father calling him asking for him to visit after spring break before going back to school at South Carolina, but the Gamecocks defensive back was caught up with friends or football or something.

The next time Dial Jr. saw his father, Dial Sr. was on life support.

"I always look back and think about all the ways I could have helped him if I knew how serious his problem was," Dial Jr. said. "If I knew how much he was struggling, how could I have helped him? But me being so far away at college, was there more I could do? I wish he would have opened up to me and talked about it, but he never did that.

"I took it to heart for a long time. I had to really work on forgiving myself. God was the only person I could lean on, because even with all the support I had around me, I was losing myself and fighting those battles thinking about how much more I could have done. I couldn't accept that he was gone for a long time, and it's still so hard. Cherish every moment because you never know when it's going to be your last time."

Now all Dial Jr. has are memories.

His father was a great basketball player back in his day, but gave up that dream to ensure that all his kids were raised with good heads on their shoulders. Dial Sr. poured into his children and remained present in their lives, even after splitting from their mom, to deliver valuable life lessons about hard work and respect.

Dial Jr. says his father introduced him to sports. They loved watching the Indianapolis Colts together, and he saw how playing catch together for hours at a time started Dial Jr. on the path he's now on.

Unfortunately, it's a path his father never got to see play out beyond Dial Jr.'s first year at South Carolina.

"I wish he was here because I know he would be so proud of me," Dial Jr. said. "I was always striving for that because he always pushed me hard and challenged me, so I know being in the NFL today had a lot to do with that. I know he's smiling down on me and is happy for me but it would be 10 times better if he was still here to talk about things. Not a day goes by that I don't think about him or want to call him and talk about football or life, so I know it means a lot for me to be in this position because he is the one who believed in me."

It was difficult, but Dial Jr. has come a long way through prayer and hard work. Becoming a father himself has also given him another reason to keep going.

He had never participated in the NFL's My Cause My Cleats initiative before, but felt inspired to tell his story in hopes of reaching people going through the experience that his father and family dealt with. He chose to support the SAFE Coalition, a non-profit supporting and educating those impacted by substance use disorders, to try and impact change.

As the Patriots faced off Sunday against the Colts – his father's favorite team – Dial Jr.'s custom cleats featured a photo of him and Dial Sr.

The words, "sobriety is always an option, don't give up" were also painted across the shoe.

"It's a big platform, because I can bring attention to people who are going through it about how it doesn't only affect you, but the people around you," Dial Jr. said.

"My dad knew what he was going through was affecting him, but early on, I don't think he was thinking about how it would impact us later on. By the time he tried to get a hold on everything it was too late. That's the message I want to share and get out to everybody who is struggling – to not be self centered in your thinking. Think about the people in your life who love you."