Dont’e Thornton Jr. (aka Big Macc) didn’t have a magic carpet ride out of Baltimore’s Cherry Hill neighborhood. From early on, he was grounded by the hard realities of his environment. He lived in a place filled with Section 8 housing projects where “crime wasn’t rampant, it was just a way of life.”

But Baltimore shaped his mindset and molded him into a resilient, fast, and focused young man poised to make his mark on football’s biggest stage. “I will never forget where I came from and knowing that I was one of the people that made it out.” Now, to truly understand the man behind the athlete, let’s take a closer look at his family.

Who is Dont’e Thornton Jr.’s father, Dont’e Thornton Sr.?

Growing up, his dad, Dont’e Thornton Sr., was largely absent, incarcerated for much of his so

See Full Page