Great article on Obada: ‘I still have to face some of my demons'

[EgoDogg]

There was a great interview / article on Obada in The Guardian today. A bit of a long read, but definitely worth it in my eyes.

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The word “trafficked” has been used repeatedly in sketchy accounts of how he and his sister were bundled away. He told the Panthers’ website: “I was brought to England by a stranger that was supposed to look after me and my sister. They did not. They abandoned us in the streets of east London and left my sister and I to fend for ourselves.”

Obada is engaging and friendly, but resolute in not wanting to offer more than a few details. He explains that they were abandoned in Hackney and were homeless for two nights. Exhausted and freezing, they were saved by a security guard who gave them shelter in a tower block.

“The security guard was very helpful,” Obada tells me. “He gave us food for a few days and helped me get back in contact with my mum. She arranged for someone to pick us up and look after us and we stayed with her.”

What emotions swirled through a little boy who had ended up in a strange city against his will? “Just fear. But, at the same time, I had to be strong for my sister.”

 

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Obada and his wife moved to the US while he tried to earn himself a contract in Dallas – even if he was oblivious to the significance of the Cowboys in American sport. “I didn’t even know who the owner [Jerry Jones] was, or the quarterback. I’m walking past these guys and other rookies were in awe. I was like: ‘Who’s that?’

He barely understood the rules and so it’s little wonder that Obada was released by the Cowboys. “I was trying to stay alive those nine months in Dallas, training. At the same time I was speaking to Canadian teams to see if I could go there. It never happened. I was living off my savings but my wife is smart. She worked in an office job in Dallas.”

He tried next at the Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons. Neither offered him a contract. One last opportunity came in 2017 when, as part of the NFL’s International Pathway Programme, he was sent to the Panthers. Obada became the first player from the programme to be awarded a NFL contract.

“I’m used to walking in after the training camp,” he says, “and a guy takes your iPad and says the head coach wants to speak to you. You know you didn’t make the team. In September [2018] I walked into the Panthers’ stadium and the iPad guy was waiting. I walked slowly, trying to make eye contact, but he avoided me. I go into the locker room and one of the veteran guys said: ‘Congratulations!’ But I didn’t believe it. So I walked into the weight room, started lifting, and the head coach [Ron Rivera] came up, shook my hand and said: ‘Congratulations. You made the team.’

Full Article:
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/mar/25/efe-obada-nfl-interview-donald-mcrae

[GRWatcher]

He is a humble, joyful man, a hard worker. I'm so glad he's part of the Panthers family. I hope the Panthers do something huge for him while they're in London. Having him start, introducing the defense before the game would be a start. Helping him buy tickets for family/friends would be huge too. I think Tepper and the NFL are going to step up big time with this. It's a story line gift they don't want to miss. Thanks for the article.

[Khyber53]

I really, really hope he can make the team and become a solid contributor. In a 3-4 would he still be a DE or move to OLB?

Just such a great guy and an amazing story on how he got here. Keeping a guy like that on the team and training him up is worth the investment, paying off on the field and in karma.

[top dawg]

I think that people have the proclivity to count him out. As raw as he was, he has made great strides. This season will tell the story as to whether he's just a nice story, average depth, or a regular, contributing member who is a legitimate threat.

[carolinapanther]

Nice article. I hope he really does some damage this season!

[MountaineerChemist10]

I'll be rootin' for the guy. Nothing but class & worked his tail off to make it here in the NFL. That's guts & pure heart.