![](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,<svg height="439" width="780" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" version="1.1"/>)
New York Giants nose tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches gave quite the comparison when he spoke to the media a week after his July 25 auto accident.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers standout and Super Bowl winner was involved in a two-car accident crash near the Giants practice facility near the Meadowlands, which resulted in a concussion and hospital visit. It caused him to miss five practices.
“Definitely was fortunate coming out of that situation,” Nunez-Roches told the media on Tuesday, August 1. “Looking at that accident and both vehicles being totaled, it was definitely an eye-opener. At the same time, shoot, I am in a car wreck every week at practice, so it wasn’t anything different. God blessed me to be safe. No bumps, bruises or broken anything, so it was all good.”
NFL players arguably go through the equivalent of a car wreck, as Nunez-Roches said, because of the game’s physical toll. Nunez-Roches ironically returned to practice on Tuesday, exactly a week after the accident — just in time for the team’s first training camp session in pads.
“It was great to see him back,” Giants defensive end Leonard Williams told reporters on Tuesday. “Glad nothing happened to him during that accident. But also, he’s just a great guy to bring into this building and to bring it to the defense. He has great energy, and so far, he’s been playing the run really well. I think he’s going to be a great addition on the D-line.”
New York signed Nunez-Roches to a three-year, $12 million deal in March after five years with the Bucs. He tallied 33 tackles, two sacks, and three quarterback hits in 17 games for 2022.
Nunez-Roches has career totals of 132 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and one forced fumble in his eight-year career.
Auto Accident Occurred ‘5 Feet Away’ From Giants’ Facility
Nunez-Roches, who recounted the accident, said it happened only “five feet away” from the practice facility.
“Actually, I was coming through, and I saw her approaching the stop sign, which she was supposed to stop, but as I am looking at her, I’m like, ‘She’s going way too fast, I don’t think she’s going to stop,'” Nunez-Roches said.
“I was able to apply the brake a couple seconds before she hit me because if I didn’t, she was going to hit me straight on. As she hit me and I spun in a circle, it was more frustration because I was heading home to help my wife put the kids down before bed check,” Nunez-Roches continued.
“I was just disappointed that I wasn’t able to help because I knew I was going to have to go to the hospital, I knew I was going to have to do all these tests,” Nunez-Roches added. “I was really more mad about that than the accident all together.”
Rakeem Nunez-Roches Sends Message to Defensive Teammates
Nunez-Roches wants to impart what he learned during a successful run there where the defense consistently ranked in the top 10 of the league. He played in seven playoff games, including a Super Bowl win in the 2020 season, during his Bucs tenure.
“I’ve always told the young guys, even though the big-money guys are up there, your job is just as big,” Nunez-Roches said. “If it’s time for them to get a breather, it’s time for them to get a break, it doesn’t need to be a fall off.”
“That’s where you earn your name at. When you come out there and be just as destructive or just make the same plays, that’s where you make your name at and that’s what we need,” Nunez-Roches concluded.
The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Nunez-Roches with a sixth-round pick in 2015 out of Southern Miss. He played three seasons for the Chiefs before the team released him in 2018.
Nunez-Roches got picked up by the Indianapolis Colts, but the team waived him before the regular season that year. He found a home in Tampa Bay when the Bucs signed him in 2018 as he played 68 games and started 22 in his time there.
0 Comments