#NFLVideos: UCLA’s Laiatu Latu fought back to dominate the trenches of college football | NFL 360 | LIKE MY LAST

UCLA’s Laiatu Latu fought back to dominate the trenches of college football | NFL 360 | LIKE MY LAST

hey it’s your girl Dana Jane and I’m so
excited for you to watch this NFL 360
piece about latu latu from the Emmy
winning director osahan T really excited
to share my story with y’all one about
passion and resiliency I mean appreciate
y’all it’s going to be a dope
documentary and I appreciate you B
that’s our
game they told me I never play football
again Le to latu is going to have to
retire from football you can’t tell a
warrior it’s time to put down your sword
they didn’t know how hard I fight for
this working grinding day and night R of
shine I got a second chance I got my
heart back and I promise I play every
snap like my
last we’re just very modest people very
humble very quiet having a strong work
ethic is important to us growing up like
my brother like not having a father
figure he was pretty much my role model
for me we’d find some grass and then we’
play one-on-one and we run up against
each other like pretty much going all
out trying to tackle each other trying
to run each other over and More Than
This playing the sport I truly believe
he loves the Brotherhood that the sport
offers you got dudes that you’re you
know grinding with day in day out like
you got to do it for them too at the end
of the day L to led by example he had
been established as their best player
[Music]
yeah he he just started he just started
terrorizing
[Music]
teams I mean he pretty much was
recruited by everybody in the nation but
he chose Washington I got to witness you
know what that team was like was a real
family at one of the new bases latu
latu that’s going to be a safety I
believe yes it is safety for Washington
November 8th
[Music]
2020 it was just during practice just
normal tackle I made in the back
field I was walking by L scrimmage
thinking everybody knew it was done and
you know I caught a stinger I was at
work and I just got a text that said Mom
the trainer needs to talk to you got an
MRI that night and that’s when doctors
were telling me you know you might need
surgery at the point when it
happened I thought he’d be back when he
saw a doctor they just said we’re going
to have him sit out this season I didn’t
know it was that bad until
later couple announcements here and this
is a this is a sad one Leu latu had a
neck injury uh last last fall he he had
surgery he’s doing he’s doing fine he’s
recovering but he’s going to have to
retire from football you know Hearts go
out to him and his family and uh you
know this is part of uh part of this
physical
game it like hit me like you know my
heart dropped I was just like what the
hell there’s no way I’m being told told
this it broke my heart because I know
how much this game means to him at one
point I was working out in the waight
room St coach came up to me and said
like you know you can’t you know be in
here anymore like working out with the
team and then sat my locker you know
just got an emotional started crying it
just felt like you know my heart was
taken
away he’s like Mom I’m fine I knew he
wasn’t
fine there’ be times where I’m sitting
there like my bed like shot start crying
just cuz you think like damn like I
don’t get to be around the guys like
playing I really didn’t know what to say
I didn’t want to talk about football in
front of him cuz I know that was
something he’s going to lose I can
remember the conversation him and I had
about it and leotti was like coach I’m
not
done I’m going to play football I’m
trusting that you know your body and if
this is what you want I’ll help do
whatever I
can from that point on I told myself I’m
coming back no matter what when I
started just doing my homework and
looking up doctors and other players
that have had similar issues before
seeing all those doctors she wanted to
make sure this was a smart decision for
him he continued to work hard in the
waight room to prove that this is what
he’s made for you can’t tell a Warrior
when it’s time to turn it his PS
throughout the process I kept getting Dr
Watkins number from several coaches the
team doctor at UCLA actually referred to
him him as their cervical
doctor I thought okay I’m going to call
Dr Watkins he did battery of tests
looked at prior Imaging did all his
physical tasks then M clears
me it’s pretty like surreal Moment Like
This is what I’ve been waiting for Alani
the youngest she said the one thing I
wish for is my brother to be able to
play football again when we left Dr
watkins’s office after he got cleared he
just hugged her and said thank you for
wishing that I play football again he
ended up at UCLA when I got on the field
all the nerves went away and felt like I
was back at home again l two maybe the
fastest Edge rusher in all of college
[Applause]
football latu latu what a ball player
that man is which is exactly why you are
going to hear his name early in the
first round in the upcoming NFL draft
[Music]
when I got football back I felt like I
really got my heart back you get that
second chance you can’t let that go you
got to take full advantage of
it I can’t take credit for his
determination he held on to his faith
and he just wasn’t going to take no for
an
answer l y l it means like your
last you don’t know what could happen at
the end of the day so live every moment
like it’s the last time you get to live

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