DETROIT -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Breshad Perriman might not have raced into the same Detroit Lions' end zone his father Brett Perriman did at the old Pontiac Silverdome, but as the younger Perriman put it, scoring a career-high three touchdowns at Ford Field on Sunday "meant a lot to our story."
He revealed after the game that his father, who starred at the University of Miami and played six seasons with the Lions from 1991 to 1996, along with stints with the New Orleans Saints, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins, has been battling dementia after nearly losing his life from a stroke in 2016.
Perriman described it as "pretty bad" and said it "has been going on for a while."
Brett Perriman turned 54 in October and has been struggling with short-term memory loss. He no longer drives but watches his son's games on TV.
"My mama watches over him," Breshad Perriman said. "I'm gonna talk to him after, when I get on the bus. He can watch the game. He knows [what's happening]. But sometimes you may have to show him again. Or in a few minutes, he'll forget everything that just happened."
Perriman said that knowing his dad's struggles with those issues made Sunday's game, and his string of recent performances -- he has caught 71.4% of his passes since Week 11, tied for seventh-best in the league -- that much sweeter. He knows his father can still appreciate it.
"I know what it means, how he feels when I do good," Perriman said. "It definitely makes everything much more special."
Quarterback Jameis Winston was elated for Perriman, who was signed this offseason to a one-year contract.
"God works in mysterious ways. How about that?" Winston said. "Him having the best game of his NFL career in the same place that his dad had so much success at. I think his hard work has just continued to pay off, and that's what happens."
Perriman said neither his father's challenges nor the plight of other former players experiencing similar symptoms have deterred him from continuing to play football. He said he doesn't want to think about the possibility of his father's symptoms progressing; he prefers to stay optimistic.
"I don't really think about that. I just leave it all in God's hands. I think I'll be good," Perriman said. "It ain't gonna go further."