Photo:Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Thanks to a teammate, Zack Conti won’t have to sell his plasma to pay for college anymore.
The Eastern Michigan University offensive lineman, who made it onto the team as a walk-on in 2019 and has worked odd jobs throughout college, was surprised with a full scholarship, after teammate Brian Dooley gave up his own free ride.
“We’re at 85 scholarships,” Creighton shared in a speech to his team,seen in a video that’s since gone viral. “And no matter how many times or how many years I go to the NCAA and say … ‘Man, we need 86, and is there any way that we can have an exception to this deal,' the answer is no.”
But Dooley had a plan for his fellow lineman, whom he says is like a member of his family,according to the school’s newspaperThe Eastern Echo.
The graduate student, who is two classes short of his advanced degree, told his coach that he was willing to give up his scholarship for Conti.
“I’ve never heard, I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Creighton said about first learning Dooley’s plan.
In the video, Dooley and Conti hug after the announcement, while the team cheers and mobs the two players.
As word spread about his teammate’s unselfish play, Conti was overwhelmed, Dooley said at a press conference on Tuesday.
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“Football is something I really love, so ever since I got to school, I’ve had to do whatever it takes to stay here and stay in a good position with academics and football and everything," Conti said. “So I work a landscaping job and I rip out carpets and I demo tile floors whenever I’m not working or not doing football or going to school. It’s been a grind my whole life but, I mean, when you really want something, it’s like you do what you need to do to keep it going.”
As for Dooley, he’s happy to have made a difference.
source: people.com
