Nick Gates, Giants Center

We continue, Zach Guilbe, here with you on CBS Sports Radio. We're going to spend a few moments right now with Nick Gates who has an unbelievable comeback story from the New York Giants as the Giants are off to the postseason for the first time since 2016 after getting a victory up against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. But obviously the biggest story in the NFL today has been the situation that did unfold. The last night on Monday Night Football between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills where Damar Hamlin was involved in a collision and needed CPR on the field and he is in the hospital right now in critical condition and we said nothing but the best and all the prayers of the world to him, his family and all across the NFL and the sports world. Nick, I know it's a tough day around the National Football League but I do appreciate you carving out some time. Thanks so much and how are you holding up? I'm doing alright. It was definitely a scary thing to see because that can happen to anybody playing on the field.

I'm praying for him and I feel bad for his mom and what she's having to go through because my mom had to go through when I was hurt and it's nothing near what he's been going through so I'm praying for them and I'm hoping for the best. I know it's an off day for you guys but just what has been some of the conversation like in the last 24 hours or so with your teammates? We're just like in shock. It's just crazy. I never thought anything like that could happen on a football field to be honest with you anymore. I thought that stuff was out of the game.

You know what I mean? You never think of anything like that so it's still kind of a shock to me and I don't know. I really don't know what to think. I don't know if you were watching the game but how did you find out about it last night? I actually wasn't. I was hanging out with somebody and I got like three or four texts from people like hey you got to turn the game on and the clip sent to me and it was crazy.

It was crazy. I saw the ambulance on the field and when you see that it's never a good sign. And obviously we're all thinking about DeMar but you also have to think about his teammates because they were centered right around him and huddled up right around him while he was getting CPR on the field. I just can't even imagine what the teammates are going through and obviously mental health is a big topic of conversation. Just hope those Bills teammates and Bengals teammates as well get the help that they need.

Oh yeah definitely. I know our sports psychologist reached out to us and said if anybody needs to go talk to her do anything. She's always doing her doors open and if we need to do that.

Nick Gates here with us. Do you think football should take a week off and there should just be no games the rest of the week? I don't know.

I haven't really thought about like that. I don't know how what they're going to go and what they're you know, we're going to go about it. So we'll see what happens tomorrow.

You know when everybody's back in the buildings on Wednesday for their you know, which is their Mondays and see what kind of goes from there. I also thought it was remarkable last night the coaches Zach Taylor and Sean McDermott. Obviously, there's no playbook for what transpired last night. I couldn't even imagine those players playing in a game after what they just saw. So I thought the coaches were on the same page last night and they both knew that their players couldn't go back there on the field.

Definitely. I think it would have been wrong to go back there on the field. I don't know how anybody would play after you know, seems your teammate. I mean basically die on the field and get brought back. So I'd be too rough to you know, come back and play from and too many emotions going through your head.

Just, you know, be able to focus on football games. Nick Gates here with us. I want to get into your story a little bit because you have a remarkable comeback story. We all know back on September 16th when you did suffer a terrible leg injury, a compound fracture of your left tibia and you ended up having to go through seven surgeries.

There was a thought that your leg was going to have to get amputated just for you when we talk about your story. Just how do you reflect on what the last year has been like for you? Yeah, you know, it's been a journey. It's been, you know, there's a lot of ups and downs and you know, it's a lot of patience. I learned a lot about myself and a lot about who I am as a person over the last, you know, what was it, 410 days I was hurt. So it was definitely a journey. Was there ever a thought of you not playing again, just wondering?

Oh yeah, definitely. There was times I would, you know, I thought about retiring and I was done and didn't think I was going to be able to play again, especially early on. And then I was like, I got my confidence back and then I had that seventh surgery where they had to take the rod out and put another rod in. And that kind of like at that point, I was like, I almost was done after that. But, you know, they just kept keep pushing and keep going.

And, you know, there's no point in, you know, calling it quits now and stuff. So, you know, I'm glad I had a good support system and, you know, my mom and brothers and everybody kept, you know, pushing me. Yeah. How did you keep your spirits up? Because I don't know how you were able to recover and not only get back on the field, but play at a pretty damn good level.

Yeah. To be honest, I'm pretty positive for the most part. There was a couple of days here and there that were bad, but like I just I tried to be positive. There's nothing I could do about being injured and how I got injured and you know what it is. So there's no point in being upset and sad. Like it's only going to make it worse if, you know, you're not positive and have a positive outlook on it. So it's only going to hurt you then in the end run. So that's that was kind of like my big thing of what I put, you know, my hung my hat on was just just being positive and, you know, there's no point in being negative.

So what happened happened and there's nothing you can do about it. When did you know that, OK, you could play football again and that you were going to be able to give it a go? Probably my first practice when I got back, I knew like I stepped on the field and I was running around and I was like, oh, you definitely do this again. Like at a high level, like I'm not I wasn't worried after that point of, you know, being able to come back and play. But it took all the way up until that first practice. Like I always wanted to play, but I didn't know if I really could up until that first practice I came back for. When you got back on the field to play in a game and it was a road game in Seattle, just what was going through your mind, Nick Gates? I don't know.

There's a lot. I had my family up in the stands. They got to see me play finally for I think it was a long time since they all saw me play before.

But it was I don't even know. I was just happy to be back out there. Then for the first play to be a touchdown, I got back out there. It was it was pretty cool, too. So, you know, I think everybody I was out there, you know, all the support and, you know, everything that everybody helped me with just to get back. And, you know, yeah, it was it was it was a lot of emotions. The image of you, I think it was when Saquon scored the rushing touchdown was was really priceless. He just saw the elation that you had.

That was pretty neat. Yeah, I was I think I said it was kicking in, you know, throw my arms around. I go take a little kid throwing tantrum on the ground. But I was just so happy to be back out there and to be able to contribute again to help, you know, help us, you know, try to win some ballgames. I know it's late in the season and everyone's in pain. But with what you had to go through, how's the body feeling? If you don't mind me asking you, I see my leg. I don't really feel my leg. It doesn't bother me at all. There was like I got rolled up on one time or one play like two or three weeks ago. My tibia was sore for a little bit, like two days.

But other than that, it hasn't caused any problems, hasn't bothered me. It's been pretty good. So this has been an unbelievable season, not only for you, but also for the team. Not many people thought that you guys would be in the postseason, but you guys were able to lock up a berth last weekend on Sunday up against the Colts. How do you reflect it and what goes through your mind when you hear that the Giants are going to the playoffs? Oh, it's crazy. I've been here for, what, my fifth year now and we've never been close to, you know, making the playoffs. So this is like a dream come true. I never thought, you know, this would actually happen. So it was cool.

It was, you know, still in shock a little bit, you know. But, you know, ready to get going and ready to get back out there and see, you know, if we can make the playoff push. What has Brian Deball really brought to this team since you've been here for so long? It just seems like this is a totally different group than the team that you guys have had the last few seasons. Yeah, I think everybody enjoys coming to work every day. Like, it's the camaraderie and everybody in the locker room, like, everybody gets along.

Like, there's no clicks, there's none of that. Like, everybody shows their own personality and, you know, enjoys coming to work together every day. And I think that makes a big difference when everybody wants to be in the building and wants to be there and, you know, wants to win. It's not easy in New York to be able to play well, especially when people have been very critical of you and people have doubted Daniel Jones ever since he got drafted six overall. Well, what has your quarterback, Nick Gates, Daniel Jones, showed you this year? He's just a tough kid. I'm so proud of him and proud of, you know, the player he's become and what he's been able to do and overcome. And, you know, the fans weren't easy on him for the longest time.

So I'm finally glad he's, you know, played well and finally to silence the doubters. I mean, I knew he had it in him from day one he walked in here. The way he goes about, you know, goes about preparing every week and he's the first one in the building and the last one out. You know, he's just a hard worker. He's going to outwork you no matter who you are. You know, that's just Daniel Jones.

He's just a blue collar type of dude. We've been talking about your story throughout this conversation. Just what do you want people to learn from your story and just know about your story when you reflect on it? You've got to keep going. No matter what it is, if you have some downs, you've got to keep putting your foot in front of the other and just keep looking forward.

There's nothing you can do about the past. And, you know, the only thing you can focus on is today and what you're going to get done and executed in the future. Well, Nick, first off, congratulations on returning and having a wonderful season this year, also making the playoffs. And I know it's a tough day around the NFL today, so I really do appreciate you carving out a few moments for us. Thank you and good luck. No problem. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it.