Indiana’s Heisman QB Fernando Mendoza Fights For Wins On The Field While Leading The Fight Against MS

Fernando Mendoza has made a name for himself. You can call the Indiana quarterback “Heisman Winner,” “Player of the Year,” or by the nearly dozen other awards the junior has won from his record-setting season. Mendoza is using his name in this new Name, Image, and Likeness era to make millions, but he’s also using it to fight multiple sclerosis, a disease his mom Elsa has battled for 18 years.

With the help of local restaurants in Bloomington, Indiana, Mendoza is raising money for MS through the National MS Society.

The quarterback teamed up with BuffaLouie’s to make the “Mendoza Bros. Burger” and Gable’s Bagels for the “Mendoza Bros. Cubano.” Proceeds from both of those items go directly to the National MS Society.

“My mom means the world to me,” Mendoza said on his fundraiser site. “She’s the most caring and positive person I know, and I’ll keep doing everything I can to support her and others living with MS.”

Mendoza’s goal is to raise $150,000 for the foundation. He has received $144,443 so far through his campaign.

In a letter penned to The Players’ Tribune, Elsa said her son has helped her not feel embarrassed about the degenerative disease.

“When you have to carry me up the stairs, you’ve always kept that same spark in your eye,” Elsa wrote. “No matter what kind of state I’ve been in, or day I’ve been having, you’ve never once looked away. You’ve never once treated me like I’m embarrassing, or deficient, or anything other than someone you love and are standing by.”

In the emotional letter, Elsa opened up about raising Mendoza as a young mom in Boston. She said her firstborn always felt like her closest buddy. Together, the two navigated the Miami native’s first Boston winter. All these years later, Mendoza is still helping his mom, just in different ways.

“Even as my condition has gotten worse, and as our lives continue to change around that fact. You manage to make me feel like I’m still every part of myself,” Elsa said. “Like I’m still that same person you’ve been teammates with since we got through our first Boston winter together. Like I’m still that same mom.”

Their bond took center stage at the Heisman ceremony in December, where Mendoza, through tear-filled eyes, dedicated the trophy to his mom.

“Mommy, this is your trophy as much as mine. You’ve always been my biggest fan. You’re my light. You’re my why. You’re my biggest supporter. Your sacrifices, courage, love, those have been my first playbook and the playbook that I’m going to carry through my entire life. You taught me that toughness doesn’t need to be loud. It can be quiet and strong. It’s choosing hope. It’s believing in yourself when the world doesn’t give you much reason to. Together, you and I are rewriting what people think is impossible. I love you.”

Mendoza said he’s using his platform to achieve his goal of “a world free of MS.”

“The money raised through this campaign will help fund MS research, programs, and services so people affected by MS can live their best lives.”

Mendoza is arguably living his best life right now as he gears up to take on Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal Friday night. He credits the success he and Indiana are having this season to his mom.

“To see her optimistic and positive approach with all that she’s battling has given myself no excuse for complacency throughout my life — whether it’s academics or football,” Mendoza said on a recent podcast. “To see her fight and see her struggle and then get better … it’s been so inspiring to myself.”

When Mendoza takes the field against Oregon, the spotlight will shine bright on college football’s best player, and he embraces it — knowing he’s making an impact for his mom, the person he cares about most.