You need to know
Football is run by the family for New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields.
Fields is the son of former college football player and resource officer Ivant “Pablo” Field and sales/relations manager Gina Toby. Justin is also with his stepmother, Joe Anne Fields. Ivant shares two children, softball player Jaden Fields and budding college basketball star Jessica Fields.
Justin played college football, played for both Georgia and Ohio, won two Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year awards, leading Ohio to the 2021 National Championship Game, chasing Ivant. Following his example of playing as a linebacker for Eastern Kentucky, Ivant challenged Justin to be the best on and off the field.
“It was definitely very hard in terms of how he treated others outside (his) home and my respect for others, making me the man I am today,” Justin told ESPN in August 2021.
From supporting Justin’s football dreams, there’s everything you need to know about NFL quarterback Justin Fields’ parents, Ivant “Pablo” Fields and Gina Toby.
Gina is successful in selling
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While many of Justin’s family have been successful in track and field, Gina has managed to sell and manage relationships. Gina has worked in two fields for over 25 years, following her bachelor’s degree from the Boston Conservatory of Music in Berklee.
Despite studying opera-focused vocal performances, Gina continued selling on DHL, Fleetcor and Telematics following her LinkedIn profile.
Ivant and Gina knew Justin would become a star athlete as a child
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Justin’s parents noticed his unusual athletic ability as a toddler.
“When he got like one, he kept throwing the ball onto the stairs. The ball bouncing off the stairs and catching it. You’re about to watch a game or a movie, and it’s on your nerves, “Hey guy, cut it off,” but Ivant told WGN9 in June 2023.
Before Justin entered kindergarten, he had already built a baseball team, so his mother realized he was excellent.
“He reached his first baseball team in 3 1/2 and was hitting the fence,” Gina said at Justin Fields.
Ivant played soccer in college and used his experience to develop Justin.
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Ivant had a decades-long career as a resource officer, but his first dream was to become a football player. Ivant’s grades banned him from being accepted by Division I College and affecting his NFL dreams, so he made sure to focus on Justin’s achievements while raising him.
“I was a D-1 talent, but I had to go to East Kentucky because I didn’t get any grades. I put “C’s” down a long way, so I finished the SAT in about five minutes. “I watched them (his grades) three times a day, every day. He graduated from Harrison High School with a 3.9 GPA.”
Gina helped Justin with her epilepsy diagnosis
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When Justin was 15, he had his first seizure while sitting in the healthy class. After this experience, he was diagnosed with epilepsy, and was concerned that it could affect his football career.
It turns out that proper treatment would not affect his career, but he must take daily medications. He soon learns that Gina is also suffering from epilepsy and could grow up the way she had.
“When I had a (seizure) it was because I didn’t take my medication, and I told ESPN in November 2022.
Justin can feel at ease as Gina is always there to make sure he is looking after her, especially in an epilepsy experience.
“He’s 23 and I’m still going to say, ‘Are you taking your medication?” Gina told ESPN in the same interview. “Because when it all comes down to it, what a mother does.”
Ivant was deeply involved in Justin’s early soccer career.
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Ivant had a major impact on Justin’s love for football and participated in almost every game of Justin who grew up. Ivant has always believed in Justin, and according to Bleacher’s report, he even sent Justin’s game tapes to all Division I schools in the United States.
Due to Ivant’s football experience, he was grateful for Justin’s development as a player and was able to share this with his son. Before Justin became a starter, Ivant continued to strive to ensure Justin stayed working despite his frustration. It all reached the pinnacle of Justin, who spent his breakout season as a junior at Harrison High School.
“His dormant athletic ability, the strange things he did when he was little, have just come to life,” Ivant told Bleacher Report in January 2018.
Gina helped Justin choose Georgia
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After leaving high school as a five-star recruit, Justin was approached by many colleges, and Gina went on many of the visits he recruited alongside him, including the college football powerhouse Alabama. However, she ultimately began her college football career in his hometown, which influenced his decision to play for the Georgia Bulldogs.
“I think Georgia was great,” Gina told the Dawg Nation in October 2017.
Gina and Ivant were with Justin when they were drafted.
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In 2021, Justin’s NFL dream finally came true when he was drafted by the Chicago Bears. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Justin was at home on an important occasion with Gina, Ivant, his stepmother Joe Anne and his sisters Jaden and Jessica.
He was interviewed by ESPN shortly after it was drafted about what it was like to celebrate the moment with his family, reflecting on the adversity he overcame to get there.
“It was amazing, you know, it’s a moment I remember forever… (I) I’m happy to be able to celebrate with my family,” Justin said. “Everything I and my family have just learned from it and we’ve grown from it, so whatever my path is in the near future, I’m ready.”
