After teammate Brian Dooley gave up his own free ride, the Eastern Michigan University offensive lineman, who joined the team as a walk-on in 2019 and has worked odd jobs throughout college, was surprised with a full scholarship.
Last week, EMU’s head coach, Chris Creighton, made a surprise statement.
“We’re at 85 scholarships,” Creighton shared in a speech to his team, seen in a video that’s since gone viral. “And no matter how many times or how many years I go to the NCAA and say … ‘Man, we need 86, and is there any way that we can have an exception to this deal,’ the answer is no.”
But, according to the school publication The Eastern Echo, Dooley had a plan for his fellow lineman, whom he considers a member of his family.
The graduate student, who is two classes short of completing his advanced degree, informed his coach that he was willing to forego his scholarship in order to help Conti.
“I’ve never heard, I’ve never seen anything like that before,” Creighton said about first learning Dooley’s plan.
In the video, Dooley and Conti hug following the announcement, while the rest of the team shouts and mobs them.
Conti was overwhelmed as word circulated about his teammate’s selfless play, Dooley said at a press conference on Tuesday.
However, in a video provided by the university with ABC News, it is evident that he appreciated Dooley’s gesture.
“Football is something I really love, so ever since I got to school, I’ve had to do whatever it takes to stay here and stay in a good position with academics and football and everything,” Conti said. “So I work a landscaping job and I rip out carpets and I demo tile floors whenever I’m not working or not doing football or going to school. It’s been a grind my whole life but, I mean, when you really want something, it’s like you do what you need to do to keep it going.”
As for Dooley, he’s happy to have made a difference.
“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Dooley said, per EMU’s newspaper. “If it helps him more then by all means, I’m gonna give it to him and hopefully I can later down the road help him out even more.”
