Tuesday was a tough day for many as NFL rosters across the league cut their roster down to 53 players, and Los Angeles Chargers defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko detailed how stressful the final cuts can be for players around the league.
Fehoko (seen above at Chargers’ camp on Aug. 1) made the Chargers’ opening day roster on Tuesday, and he spoke about the emotional day for him and his family during a press conference following the team’s decision.
“I’ve been cut twice,” said Fehoko as he fought back tears. “My mom left me a voicemail, and she was tearing up a little bit. My fiancé cried a little bit too this morning. I pulled in and my brother called me, and he was emotional. It’s just been one of those rides where I have always had to battle from the bottom up and grind for everything that I have got. But I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
fehoko fam had a day :') pic.twitter.com/xlpoganXKU
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) August 30, 2022
Fehoko came into the league as an undrafted free agent in 2020 out of LSU. His story was featured on Hard Knocks that season, and he appeared in two games for the Chargers that year. He then played in eight games this past season with the team.
The raw emotion in this interview from Fehoko is an awesome thing to see, and it clearly means the world to him that he was able to make the Chargers’ initial 53-man roster this time around.
It was a great day for Fehoko’s family all around, as his cousin Simi Fehoko, who is a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, was also able to make the team’s initial 53-man-roster.
Many saw their chances of playing in the NFL come to an end on Tuesday, but stories like Fehoko’s show that underdogs can make their way into the league despite being undrafted.
[Los Angeles Chargers on Twitter; photo from Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports]
