Injured QB carried onto field by teammates for final snap in heartwarming moment
By Keith Farner
Published:
In one of the more heartwarming scenes of the season, Youngstown State players helped previously injured quarterback Nathan Mays onto the field to take a knee on the final play of the game and his career.
About three weeks ago, Mays was injured in a game against North Dakota State, according to the Grand Forks Herald, and never returned after a serious lower-leg injury. Coach Bo Pelini said Mays suffered a broken leg and dislocated ankle.
Late in the 21-3 win over Illinois State, the team called a timeout and Mays’ teammates walked him on to the field to take the final knee of the game to end their season.
For his part, Mays said he told teammates before the game that if they were up two scores at halftime, he would put the pads on.
“I didn’t really know if I had the guts to ask if I could actually do it,” he said. “Then when I went up to Bo, Bo was all about it. It was pretty crazy, it didn’t hit me until I actually did it and then I saw my dad in tears, it was pretty special.”
ESPN shared the video of the incident below:
This is awesome 👏
Nathan Mays, who suffered a season-ending injury earlier this year, was carried onto the field for the final snap of his career. pic.twitter.com/J28xY2jdsH
— ESPN (@espn) November 24, 2019
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
