Malik Hooker on playing in pain for his teammates

Ohio State safety Malik Hooker is a possibility for the Jets at six. Here are some of his thoughts on his injuries and interceptions . . .

*Malik Hooker – Ohio State Safety: I had surgery Jan. 16, I’m recovering a lot faster than they thought. I’m looking forward to coming back around rookie camp.

Q)How did injury affect you on the field for OSU last season?

Hooker: The injury happened Nov. 26 in the game against the team up north. When that happened, I didn’t really notice it until after the game. After the game, I couldn’t really walk, I was limping. In practice that week, I wasn’t able to run as well and I just kept playing through it. I played the Clemson game with the injury as well.

Q)Did you consider not playing?

Hooker: No, that was never a thought.

Q)Why?

Hooker: Just because I put too much work in with those guys, and it would’ve been like I was letting them down, you know. We went through the offseason, the grind, I feel like everything that I worked for in the offseason and that we worked for as a team, that would’ve been thrown away if I didn’t go out there and compete with those guys.

Q)Did it hurt in Clemson game?

Hooker: It did, but I took a lot of Ibuprofen. I was just going out there, trying to compete and getting the win for the team.

Q)How many Ibuprofen did it take to get INT against Clemson?

Hooker: About six. It took about six. I went out there early before the game and started, and I had the PT look at it before I went out there and started working out on the field. I just got it real loose, got it as loose as I can and tried to mentally block that out of my mind.

Q)You didn’t consider sitting out bowl game because of injury?

Hooker: Before even looking into my future, there’s just so much that you put into a program like that. So for me to automatically say I’m not playing because I’m a top 10 pick or whatever the scenario may be, I feel like it’s not fair to Ohio State and the guys I worked with because I was there in the offseason working hard with them, I was there in the rough part of the program, so I feel like it was what I had to do. I feel like I owed that to those guys and I definitely don’t like sitting out, especially at a time like that when you’re working for a national championship, big game against one of the top competitive teams in college football. I feel like it was a no-brainer that I was playing.

Q)Sports hernia and labrum?

Hooker: Yes. I had a torn labrum in my left hip and I had a sports hernia on both sides.

Q)What was key to getting so many INTs?

Hooker: Just having the mindset that any ball that’s in the air, it’s my ball. I feel like I’m a playmaker. Any time I had a chance to make a play or change momentum of a game, I took it upon myself to do so.

*Press Conference

Dan Leberfeld
Dan Leberfeldhttps://www.jetsconfidential.com
Publisher of Jets Confidential Magazine. Call 1-800-932-4557 (M-F, 12-4) to subscribe. Co-host of Press Coverage every Saturday on SiriusXM NFL Radio from 11-2.

Stay in the Loop

Get the daily email from CryptoNews that makes reading the news actually enjoyable. Join our mailing list to stay in the loop to stay informed, for free.

Latest stories

- Advertisement - spot_img

You might also like...