Emotional Nick Herbig Gets to Live His Biggest Dream - Playing With His Brother
PITTSBURGH -- The emotions in Nick Herbig's voice couldn't be hidden when he picked up the phone with Omar Khan, learning for the first time that he was headed to the Steel City as the Pittsburgh Steelers' fourth-round draft pick.
"I saw my phone ring Pittsburgh, PA, and I was like, there's no way I'm about to be a Steeler with my brother. I picked it up, and it was Mr. Khan, and I just started crying," Herbig said. "I couldn't hold it in."
When he got off the phone with the team, his brother, Nate, hugged him and told him he loved him.
Like every player who gets drafted, this is a dream come true. Herbig wanted to be in the NFL for as long as he could remember, but what made this day more special was getting to live out a bigger dream, playing in the National Football League with his older brother.
"I can't really explain it to you. I'm at a loss for words," Herbig said, sniffling after every sentence to hold back the tears. "It's all I ever dreamed about, and I get a chance to play for the Steelers, a legendary organization, and I get to play with my brothers. That's all I could ever ask for."
Nate, a four-year veteran guard, signed a two-year deal with the Steelers in free agency. He's in Pittsburgh to compete with Kevin Dotson and another newly-signed lineman, Isaac Seumalo, for the left guard position.
Nick Herbig will do the same at outside linebacker, looking to be the Steelers' premiere backup behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith this season.
But football will come. Right now, he's celebrating with his family, embracing the moment of becoming an NFL player, and soaking in a dream he and his brother have talked about since second grade when they played together on the Kauai Bulldogs in Kauai, Hawaii.
"Me and him talked about this since we were little kids," Herbig said. "We grew up, we share the same dream, we work out together, we do everything together. That's my best friend. I don't think blood can make us any closer."
That dream, those second grade football talks, is now a reality to the Herbig family. And like many brothers before who have passed the halls of UPMC Rooney Sports Complex before, they'll play a pivotal role in the Steelers' success this season. Something the Wisconsin linebacker can't wait to get started on.
"In my brother's famous words, I'm just happy to be here," Herbig said.
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