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Will Hernandez spoke about what he learned about coming back from a torn ACL.
For the first time since he suffered a torn ACL in Week 5 last season against the 49ers, Arizona Cardinals guard Will Hernandez talked to the media about what he experienced in the previous 10 months.
What stood out was what Hernandez learned about himself during the long, arduous process that led to him signing a one-year contract with the team last week.
Prior to Hernandez’ media availability, head coach Jonathan Gannon was asked how good it is to have him back.
“Awesome. Yeah, awesome,” Gannon said. “He’s got a smile on his face. He’s working hard. He’s been a great teammate so far. When he came back in the building when we signed him, I think he got a standing ovation. And partly because not the guy and the teammate and the player that he is, (but) the guys know what he went through, and that’s a hard deal. So he’s working hard, but it’s good to have him in the building.”
Hernandez was asked how he felt after that greeting from his fellow players.
He said, “It was one of the biggest reasons why I did re-sign because I know I have the support of all these guys. I know these guys believe in me, too. And they don’t just get hyped just because I’m a cool guy, but because they know what I can bring to this team and how I can help as well.
“You know, it’s just a plus that we all really like each other and I definitely felt the support from those guys, and that really helped out.”
His inner validation came after being asked what his emotions have been like since last October.
“As far as emotions, we all go through (them),” he said. “I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had really bad emotions and I was down for a bit. But the coolest thing about this experience is that I was able to confirm what I always preached to the guys. And that was; I was always that guy that would like hoot and holler, try to motivate guys on the side, be in guys’ ears, try to get that positivity out of them, let them see the bigger picture. But I’ve never really been truly tested if I’m being honest.
“I never had to get surgery for anything. I’ve been very blessed to never been hurt in my entire NFL, really my entire football career to the point where I miss games. And so this was a chance for me to prove to myself everything that I’ve always talked about. So that was the coolest part about this is that it worked wonders for me up here (pointed to head). I always kind of knew I was that guy, but now going through this very hard time and then still believing everything I used to talk about and that’s really where I feel like I grew here (pointed to head again).”
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
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