The words of Sam Bradford
Below is the entirety of what could be QB Sam Bradford’s final press conference at Oklahoma. Bradford will undergo season-ending surgery in Birmingham, Ala., Wed., effectively ending his career as a Sooner. Bradford is expected to enter the NFL Draft after this season.
On all that went into the decision:
It was like making the decision last year whether to stay in school or enter the draft. I wanted to get as many opinions as possible. I talked with as many people as I could to make the right decision. After talking to a lot of people, it seemed like this was the unanimous decision that everyone came to.
On realizing he won’t play for OU again:
I dreamed about coming here. The first time I got hurt, I was sitting on the sidelines knowing I was coming back. That was the light at the end of the tunnel. But to make this decision and realize I’m going to be playing my last game at Oklahoma, it’s really tough.
On whether he’ll wait to hire an agent:
No, I’m not going to see any agents until after the season. By doing that, I wouldn’t get to travel and take part with this team. If the surgery doesn’t go well, then I do have the possibility of returning. Hopefully, though, that’s not an issue.
On whether he’ll know enough about his shoulder to feel comfortable moving on to the NFL in January:
As long as I’m on the right track, and doctors feel I’m making the right progress, I’ll have enough information to make that decision.
On how he got connected with James Andrews:
At first, it’s something our doctors wanted to send images, when it first happened, to him. We just kind of stayed in contact with him ever since. My dad has been corresponding with him.
On why he delayed his announcement:
Sunday after the game, I talked with coach Stoops, I felt I would be ready to make a statement by then. I don’t think I realized the magnitude of the situation and information to make that decision, I just felt like the decision needed more time necessary, a couple extra days.
On what information he got:
Coach Stoops talked to several people late last week and got some information, very important information for me and good stuff to hear from those people.
On the finality of his career:
My teammates have been great. They have supported me all through it. Last week was the hardest game I ever had to sit on the sidelines. Especially to come into the locker room and see everybody celebrating. And realize that I’m not really going to be part of that anymore. Pretty tough.
On the rest of the season:
I think a lot of things are still in front of this team. I’m extremely proud of the way they bounced back after Texas. I still feel they fought tremendously hard that Texas game. But to rebound the way we did and go on the road in a tough atmosphere and to get a win, that just shows the character of this team and where we’re going the rest of this year.
On why he needs surgery now:
Really the same thing. When it first happened, surgery, everybody felt that wasn’t need. Everyone felt that the best thing was to let the shoulder heal itself. We tried that. It did heal and I was able to play. But the first hit I took it re-injured it and they felt like every time I kept coming back it would re-injured it. The surgery will repair the joint and put it back to normal and strengthen it.
On coming back a second time:
I thought that was a possibility. I wasn’t sure what the doctors were going to tell me. I knew there was a possibility they were going to tell me my season was over. I thought I might be able to come back, but they told me that wasn’t going to happen.
On Landry Jones:
I think Landry is a great player. He’s been put into some tough situations. It’s not easy coming in the middle of a game. Especially not getting as many reps during practice. Landry is stepping up and being a leader of this team. Last week, I was extremely proud of him. Going on the road playing against a ranked team and playing the way he did, I think it shows the tremendous upside that he has. I think he’s going to be a great quarterback here.
On looking at the positive of the surgery:
That’s where my mindset is right now. It’s unfortunate that I have to have surgery but I look forward to the rehab process and getting my shoulder back to where it is and getting to the draft and showing everybody I’m still the same player I was before I got hurt.
On his popularity:
Like I said earlier, these guys have been so supportive and I think that’s one of the hardest things about being hurt. We go through so much together. We go through workouts together – I spend more time with these guys than I do anyone else. To go through as much as we do and to have it taken away and not get to play with them and not get to compete with them, that’s the hardest thing and that’s the hardest thing about sitting on the sideline. Knowing that if I was healthy, I could help these guys. It’s just a helpless feeling that I can’t be out there with them.
On what might have been if he hadn’t gotten hurt:
I don’t know if I can really answer that. We are extremely close and we’ve had three losses by I think five points. We’re a couple of plays away in every game from winning. Like I said, I think this team has a lot of character and it was shown last week the way we came out and played against Kansas. I think everyone realizes we still have a lot of football left in this season and I look forward to helping these guys win.
On whether he’ll get his degree:
I will not get it in December. I’ll be a couple of hours short. Talking to my advisors, I’ll be able to take a couple of online classes and I should be able to finish in the spring.
On what advice he received:
They really just tried to help me gather information and they wanted it to be my decision. They told me they supported me no matter what I decided. They really just told me to stay positive, and whatever decision I make, just to have my heart in it 100-percent.
On not having any regrets about coming back:
No. Absolutely, 100 percent, no regrets.
On whose advice he put the most stock in:
Everyone. Coach Stoops, he played a big part in it. He talked to a lot of very important people, at least I felt, in making the decision. Coach Heupel, all my coaches, my family, the doctors – pretty much everybody. But some of the people Coach Stoops talked to late last week, that really helped me make my decision.
On possibly being the first OU QB to break the NFL barrier:
I don’t know if it’s so much the people around here as it is me, myself. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do and I look at it as another challenge. I look forward to working as hard as I can to make it happen.
On when he dreamed of being an NFL player:
I don’t know. I made that decision that I wanted to go to the NFL, probably a long time ago. You grow up wanting to go to the NFL and obviously I grew up in Oklahoma and wanted to play here. But you grow up and you watch the Super Bowl and you watch all the quarterbacks and it’s something I dreamed about. I think I’ve come a long way and I think I have a long way to go to prove that to people and prove that to myself.
On how the timing affected the decision:
I think maybe at the beginning it did. It felt a little overwhelming. It’s obviously something that I prepared and wished I was doing at the end of the season. I think going through the process last year really helped me understand what all needed to be done and who I needed to talk to. So that made it easier.
On being a national story:
I don’t really pay attention to the media much so I couldn’t tell you I knew that. Sometimes I really wish it wasn’t that big of a deal. Obviously if it is, it’s a nice complement to me and my teammates and what we’re doing at this university.
On how enjoying college affected the decision:
Like I said earlier, it’s extremely tough considering this is where I grew up and this is where I played. To put this in the past is extremely tough and I’ve been extremely blessed to be here. The past three-and-a-half years have been the best three-and-a-half years of my life. I wouldn’t trade a day of it.
On if he still doesn’t know about NFL rookie salary slots:
Yeah, we’ll figure that out later.
On whether his college relationships were worth putting off the NFL money for another year:
No doubt. Some people think money is everything, but to me, money is not everything. You look at these guys and the friendships and the experiences I’ve had here – not many people can say that. I wouldn’t trade any of it for money.
On being satisfied with his career:
Definitely. Obviously we’re a little disappointed that we didn’t win the national championship last year and that’s something that’s always going to bug me and bug everyone who as a part of that team. If you look back over some of the things we’ve done over the last couple of years, I think we’ve been extremely blessed.
On whether he feels he’s losing his youth:
I don’t know if you can say that. I’m still relatively young, I think. Anytime you enter into professional anything I think you do lose something. Obviously things do change but it’s just another chapter in my life and I look forward to the new challenge and I’m up for it and I can’t wait to start working as hard as I can to succeed in that chapter.
-JT
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I believe Bradford completely when he says he has no regrets about coming back. Athletes who excel at the highest level do not spend much time thinking about “What if I get hurt?” or else they would be paralyzed mentally and unable to perform the way they do. Not to mention, the college experience is like no other and once it’s gone, it’s gone. Obviously we hope his surgery goes well and he excels in the NFL.
It’s heartbreaking that they came so close to the national title in 2008-2009 and believe me I know from experience – I’m from Buffalo, NY – the Bills lost 4 straight Superbowls!
Here’s to the courage and dedication Bradford showed by returning for one more year to Oklahoma. In a world that’s all about money, it’s a beautiful thing to see him do what he did. Ironically, he’s going to be used as an example of why you should go to the NFL early if you can. I hate it that it turned out this way – everyone does – even Texas – who to a man would’ve loved to play against Bradford again. When you feel you’re the best, you want to beat the best,and that’s what Texas would’ve had to do if Sam had been there.
But I believe he did the right thing by returning and I’d like to think I would’ve done the same thing with no regrets.
Here’s to ya Sam – to all your great accomplishments and great memories, and hopefully many more to come.