Lets Talk About It with Round Rock native & SFA tight end, Gerard Edimo

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We are almost halfway through this college football regular season, and Stephen F.
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Austin State University in Macadotis, they are one of six college football programs in this state that remains undefeated on the season.
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I am Sean Clinch, the host of Stories Inside the Med Cave Podcast.
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And before we get to this great story about a young man from the Austin area who is one of the top players for SFA, and he's currently going through some adversity, I want to make sure you know where to go because this week is Texas OU week, and I have the suggestion for you how to stock up and load up for your game watching party and for all of your tailgating needs.
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But you must be at least 21 years of age.
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It is free, and there's not many things free in this world, but you subscribing to our YouTube page is much appreciated.
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All right, this is episode 553, and we've got a pretty good story about a young man from Stony Point High School.
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He's in his third year of playing college football at Stephen F.
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Austin.
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The Lumberjacks are off to an amazing start to the season, their best start since 1995.
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But they are missing one of their captains.
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The young man I'm talking about.
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He wears a single-digit number, which is a big deal to the SFA football program.
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But if the Jacks are to make a run deep into December as they did last year, they will be inspired by their tight end from Round Rock.
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Let's talk about it.
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Going in as a freshman, I was a I was a pretty small kid.
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I was actually 5'3, going from middle school to high school.
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Yeah, I was 5'3.
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I was on uh the freshman like B team.
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I was through middle school, I was on B team, B team, freshman year, B team.
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See, that gives everyone hope.
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Gerard Adamo, five foot three, as a young teenager starting out playing freshman football at Stony Point High School, five foot three.
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You know, I know how he feels, but the problem is I didn't get much taller.
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But Gerard has skyrocketed to six foot five and one of the better tight ends in college football.
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All right, back to our story here.
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Gerard Edmo, a tight end for Stephen F.
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Austin in Nakadosis, Texas.
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Back in September, he suffered a horrific knee injury that has caused some controversy.
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Football's a violent game, and these things do happen.
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He had already had an knee injury to his other knee a few years ago.
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So he knows what adversity and overcoming injuries such as that is like.
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But this one's different.
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And then uh developed at USF, uh, ended up getting in the transfer portal, and now here at Stephen F.
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Austin, it's been a beautiful experience.
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It's like the coach, the coaches, they believe in me, and it and it's it's uh unbelievable love.
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Just like his team, Gerard Edemo was off to a fast start to his third season in Nacky's eight receptions, 100 plus yards receiving, and a pair of touchdowns in his first four games of the season as the Lumberjacks tied in.
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Then September 19th happened.
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Who came back and made the catch, and he appears to be hurt.
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A perfect textbook open field tackle by the much smaller Prairie View AM defensive back resulted in something much worse.
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Oh, I think when he fell back right there, where he's hanging onto that leg, that's what that's what did it right there when he kind of held onto that leg as he's coming over the top.
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Every ligament in Edemo's left knee was torn, shredded.
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The Jacks won the game 31 to 10, but they lost Edemo.
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27 years of college football.
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That was the second dirtiest most unsportsman I play I've seen in my career.
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Two days later, controversy.
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SFA head coach Kobe Carthell expressed his thoughts regarding the tackle which caused the injury.
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He made a routine play and got his lagner yanked off the ball.
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Uh probably ended his career.
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He's got two years left, and he'll probably never play another snap of football.
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It created a nasty viral exchange on social media, and Prairie View AM head coach Tremaine Jackson responded on a podcast.
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It's unfortunate, but it happens in our game.
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And that kid is a really good player, and I wish him nothing but the best in a speedy recovery.
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Meanwhile, back at SFA.
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The young man from Round Rock with strong faith and a gaudy brace on his left knee pushes forward with life.
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I don't think it is the end of my career, and if it is, God has a plan.
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So, you know, I'm kind of just I I mean, God always has a steering wheel, but I'm kind of just putting it in his hands, and whatever happens, I'm playing my part, I'm doing what I gotta do, come up here, get treatment every single day, you know, elevate my foot when I go to sleep, where my this uncomfortable needs race to sleep.
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Hey, hey man, it sucks.
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But uh I'm just I'm just doing what I have to do and then letting him take the wheel.
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Whenever happened at first, yeah, I I knew something was wrong because obviously like I've never felt my knees shift the way it shifted.
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But you know, going into the tent, I was I was obviously tearing up because it's like like you just know when it's a like season-ending injury, and then the first thing I'm thinking, because I like to think about I kind of I I love to put my mental health first, but I also have people who care about me.
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I just sense a little pressure.
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We have our uh our team priest, uh Vince.
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He came in and prayed with me because we have a pretty tight relationship.
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And then uh shoot the play right after I got hurt are uh sophomore tied in, Cameron Kelly.
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He scored his first ever collegiate touchdown.
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So I mean, hey, I honestly couldn't even be mad.
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Like, yes, I was mad about the uh uh uh situation, but if you see uh I came out there hobbling on one leg going to celebrate with him, because man, hey, it you sometimes it's bigger than you, it's bigger than you, and you know, uh now I'm still the same player just in a different role.
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Impressive.
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You know when you're in the presence of someone that is just extremely special and genuine and has that unique vibe about them, and and really an impressive person.
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That's Gerard Edemo right there.
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To a T.
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First time I've ever met him.
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And I like what he said at the end.
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There's things bigger than me.
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He's all about the team.
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To say the least, Gerard is an asset to anybody's team, and he is going to be highly successful in whatever he does.
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But to be honest with you, I really bought into what he was saying.
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You know, positive energy goes a long way in anything we do in recovery and believing in ourselves.
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And for Texas fans, there was a similar knee injury, I want to say, back in 2010.
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A tight end by the name of Blaine Irby, absolutely had his knee destroyed for a lack of better words, and he fought the good fight, rehabilitated after the surgeries, and he returned to the football field in a very productive manner.
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So since I've seen that before, and after listening to Gerard, I have no doubt that he will make a comeback.
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It's gonna be a long recovery.
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Um, of course, the orthopedic procedures, that's in the near future, and then comes the long physical therapy journey.
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But if anyone's made for that, it's Gerard Adamo.
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So whenever you have an opportunity to discuss the fourth ranked team in the lower division one FCS ranks, and about a young man who is facing adversity in the most positive way, it's always good to talk about it.