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| William Hayes played at Winston-Salem State from 2004-2007 before turning pro. (WSSU photo) |
The life on an NFL player is fast and furious during the season, and doesn’t always offer family and friends the chance to see their hometown hero play live. Family and friends of St. Louis defensive end William Hayes will get that opportunity this weekend when the Rams travel to Charlotte to take on the Panthers. The High Point, NC native is currently the only NFL player from Winston-Salem State.
Hayes told the Winston-Salem Journal’s John Dell he’s looking forward to playing close to home.
“I know it’s a big deal for me to play there and everything, but it’s also a big game for us as a team,” Hayes said. “I think there will be 30 to 40 family and friends who will be there. My family has sacrificed so much for me so that I can get to where I am now. I’m overjoyed that they can all come see the game.”
Hayes also revealed that he hopes to spend his bye week watching his Winston-Salem State Rams play in the CIAA Championship Game. The game will be held at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, just off the WSSU campus. Hayes told Dell he anticipates the Rams being in the game and watching it in person.
“I’m definitely coming to that game,” he said. “I usually don’t get a chance to see them play because we are always playing, so that’s going to be fun. I talk with (WSSU’s athletics director) Bill Hayes every now and then, and I talk to (defensive coordinator) Kienus Boulware a lot, and he keeps me posted on how things are going.”
As a witness to some of Hayes’ biggest moments at WSSU, it’s pretty cool to see a guy you watched on Saturday’s at a small HBCU make it to playing on Sunday’s in the NFL.