Learn from one’s mistakes and never celebrate too early. These are some of the wise lessons that football often teaches players, something that former NFL star Kaelin Clay learned the hard way. Giving a glimpse at this iconic game against Oregon, Shaquille O’Neal, shared the unfortunate moment on his Instagram story.
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Life is sometimes unfair, and who knows better than Clay, who remembers the night for his entire lifetime? The adrenaline rush for celebrating a touchdown pass before entering the endzone cost him an entire game and the team. Despite this fumble, Clay turned out to be a pure gentleman, taking accountability for his mistakes.
Kaelin Clay once made an unforgivable mistake
There have been several instances in the past where the defense outplayed the offense and tackles, leading to a beautiful pick-six. One of the bone-chilling moments in the history of football happened when the players from Utah faced Oregon during a match-up in 2014. Wide receiver Kaelin Clay caught the pass and sprinted 70 yards to the end zone.
Shaq shares an iconic moment from football. pic.twitter.com/aO5C85C9Yd
— Deepesh Nair (@deepeshhere06) April 25, 2023
It was supposed to be a clean touchdown; however, his early celebrations made him lose control of the ball. The ball was instantly recovered by Oregon’s Joe Walker, who took a wild U-turn and started running toward his endzone. After dodging several tackling attempts, Walker executed a 100-yard touchdown. To date, this game holds a special place in every football fan’s heart.
Clay, who went all in for a celebration, forgot to complete the pass, but Walker played till the end and earned precious points for his team. “Life is crazy,” Clay said after the game, per Gazette. “Things change. That moment right there helped me realize that no matter what happens, just keep pushing, because something good will happen in the end,” he added.
Fans lauded the star for his accountability and held him responsible for his mistakes. Even after so many years, the 31-year-old encourages his children to never stop pushing until it’s finally done.
Shaquille O’Neal once revealed his secret of success
After retiring from the NBA, the 51-year-old has turned out to be a great philosopher, imparting life lessons for the upcoming generation. Inspiring people and helping mankind have now become some of Shaq’s pursuits. While speaking about the importance of failures, the veteran recalled a great quote shared by Jordan during their playing days.
“So we used to get swept all the time, and most of the blowback came on me,” Shaq said in an interview. “Which I was fine with it, but just you know, at some point I got tired of hearing it because Michael Jordan told me after they swept us, ‘Before you succeed, you must first learn to fail.’ And I just got tired of failing.” he had added.
