Who is Shiyazh Pete, the first Navajo Nation player to sign an NFL contract?
Pete, who was recently released by the Dallas Cowboys to the disappointment of many fans, went viral for his locker room speech this month
Shiyazh Pete, an offensive lineman and NFL hopeful who turned heads earlier this week after a video of him giving an empowering locker room speech to his teammates went viral, has been released by the Dallas Cowboys.
The news is not only a setback for Pete but also for his fans who support him as the first member of the Navajo Nation to sign an NFL contract.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 23-year-old.
Shiyazh Pete is from the Navajo and Salish tribes
Pete was born in May 2003 in Ronan, Montana to parents Natani and Geraldine Pete. Pete’s father Natani is a captain in the US Army and is from the Salish and Navajo tribe, while his mother is Navajo.
According to the UK Athletics website, Pete speaks basic Navajo as well as some American Sign Language. Standing an impressive 205cm tall, Pete has played sports since he was young and learned martial arts early on, notes the Navajo Times. He also wrestled, ran track and cross country and even played basketball.
It wasn’t until he was in the seventh grade that Pete played his first American football game and fell in love with the sport. Pete said in an interview with the Navajo Times that football had made him “more of a good person.”
“I feel like I can talk honestly with people a lot more than I used to, and it’s a good way to know people, and the brotherhood that you expand and create in football is very worthwhile and something that I cherish,” he said.