Olympic wrestler to play in Super Bowl
By Nick Cafardo, Globe Staff // The Boston Globe
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Stephen Neal already has a Super Bowl ring, but if the Patriots should win Sunday, he believes it would be the first one he’s earned.
In 2001, Neal was happy just to be there. He was just learning the game after an All-America wrestling career at Cal State-Bakersfield. When the Patriots got to the Super Bowl, he was inactive as they beat the Rams. For last year’s championship campaign, he was out injured all season.
“I thought to myself that the Patriots might not give me an opportunity to stick around, but I never doubted myself, “he said. “I always thought I could do it. I’m just very fortunate that the Patriots kept me around even through the injuries.
“I was a long shot. I was always told to go after what I believe in. That’s the attitude that I’ll always have. “
Neal has been told by family and friends that he shouldn’t feel as though he didn’t earn the first ring. His inspiring story – a wrestler who never played major college football becomes a starting guard in the NFL – is proof of his commitment.
“They always tell me that I deserve it because I’ve worked so hard, “he said. “I got down a couple of times, because the team won the Super Bowl but I really wasn’t a part of it. I felt like, ‘I’ve got a Super Bowl ring, but I really didn’t earn it.’ My family said, ‘You really have, because you’ve worked so hard.’ ”
Neal still thinks wrestling is tougher than football.
“I think the physical demands of wrestling are a lot harder, but the thing I enjoy is the mental part of football, “he said. “You have to know where everyone else is on the field, all 11 guys on the other side. You have to get together as a team and accomplish the individual goal of each play.”
Wrestling Gear
