Luke Kuechly made the Hall of Fame because of the bonds he builds
2 min read
That’s why one of those equipment guys, Danny O’Toole, is making the long trip back to Canton after returning to Charlotte on the team plane at 3 a.m. Friday to unpack, because he wouldn’t be anywhere else.
And when he thinks about Kuechly, he doesn’t think first about tackles or sacks or interceptions. He thinks about Kuechly hazing himself during his rookie year.
“It was Panther tradition, or at least that year, where guys would get taped up and dunked into the ice baths outside at Wofford, in those large plastic tubs,” O’Toole said. “And you know, I’d watch rookies try to run around and hide, and it would take six guys to pull people down, pull them up, tape them, and get them to the ice bin.
“And it was the last day of training camp, I’m standing outside collecting laundry, and Luke walks up, stands by the ice bins, looks around, puts his hands behind his back, and he says, ‘OK, I’m ready,’ and just basically waits for his turn.
“The guys are like, ‘Luke, like you’re not really supposed to like agree to it. It kind of ruins the fun.’ And sure enough, they taped his wrists, dunked him, they pulled him out, and he said, ‘OK, well that was fun.'”
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