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Raheem Mostert – January 4, 2023 Download PDF version

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

RB Raheem Mostert

(What are the emotions for you as an NFL brother of Damar Hamlin?) – “I was just talking to somebody a little while ago. When you see a guy collapse on the field and need CPR and stuff like that, it’s very nerve-wracking, especially in the magnitude that it happened in that way. It’s definitely eye opening. That play is going to live with me for the rest of my life and it’s scary. You always want the best for guys even if you don’t like them or anything like that. I’m not saying I didn’t like him. I think he’s a great guy. I know several people around the Pittsburgh area that talk highly about him. I know Dan Marino is a Pitt guy too so I’m sure he has a great connection with him as well. But when you see a brother out there on the field and collapsing the way he did, it’s nerve-wracking. Scary. I know I grasped for air. It took my breath away just seeing that happen and unfold. It’s always good to know that he’s going to be ok. Right now in this instance, that’s about the only information that they’re giving us, that he is improving and he’s doing his part. All we can do is just pray and let God take the wheel. I know that’s kind of the thing that you want to see and you want to hear, but that’s all we can do right now.”

(When you see something like that, how do you balance your love for football and knowing how dangerous, at the same time, that this game can be?) – “That’s a great question because I had that same incident happen with Tua (Tagovailoa) early on in the season. That play is going to stick with me for the rest of my life, as well. Just seeing how he responded and the way it happened and all of that stuff. Those things can haunt you. But as a player, I was telling my guys in the room, at one point you do have to block that out because there’s still a game that has to be played. I hate to say that. I don’t want to be that guy that says those things. But the reality is it’s part of the job description. That’s something I hate but we’re all human and we all have to come forth and be creative in our own way. Maybe that’s just shutting it out completely. Maybe that’s using motivation to protect yourself even more. Who’s to say as a player what you can and can’t do. But I will say, for me, I’m going to definitely be more cautious on my approach to the game and also be generous to the game and be very cognizant and responsive of what’s going on around me. I just learned today that here at Hard Rock Stadium that there’s a helicopter that takes only six minutes to a hospital if anything goes down. Those are the little things that we probably take for granted but at the same time, we need to understand and educate ourselves in that aspect of trying to heal and get better.”

(What’s your reaction to the response of the brotherhood, the fan base and the way the sports world has kind of rallied together?) – “It’s amazing. You just see not only in the NFL but in other major leagues – like the NBA, you see Donovan Mitchell speaking out and saying great words. You hear all of these outlets that are just using their platforms in order to encourage not only what we got going on but Damar (Hamlin) because that’s the main focus. It’s really encouraging, honestly. I can’t say anything bad about that. It’s a plus, for sure.”

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