New England Patriots linebacker and Chicago native Darius Fleming took the field during Saturday's win over the Kansas City Chiefs, despite an injury he suffered while rescuing a woman from a car following a crash.
Fleming, who needed 22 stitches in his leg, has said he suffered the injury while kicking in a car window to pull the woman to safety.
When St. Rita High School football coach Todd Kuska heard that his former player injured himself while rescuing someone, the story did not come as a surprise to him.
“He’s a humble guy he’s always there to lend a helping hand," Kuska said. "I wasn’t shocked, I was proud of him but that’s the guy he is.”
People are quick to try and bring you down....so sad
— Darius Fleming (@dfleming58) January 20, 2016While heading home from a Patriots practice in Massachusetts last Thursday, Fleming witnessed an accident that led to a woman being trapped inside her smoking car.
“I saw her panic on her face because the smoke was coming inside she wasn’t getting out of the car so I'm going to kick the window out so I started kicking it and it broke and pulled her out at that moment was leg was bleeding pretty bad," Fleming said.
Fleming had been a star football player at Saint Rita’s, and number 90 helped bring them a state championship during their 2006 season.
"He’s a great example of what our mission is here to educate everybody in the whole manner he really just sets that example for all of our kids," Kuska said,
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The woman Fleming rescued wants to remain anonymous, but she did express gratitude for what he did.
"I don’t need any accolades for doing what I did anyone would have done the same thing," Fleming said.
