But it wasn’t just his tough running or the points he put on the board that prompted his Hurricanes coaches and teammates to give Fletcher the game ball after Saturday’s win.
It was the running back’s resiliency and drive that resonated in the Miami locker room.
“This game was for him and his family. What he’s going through outside of football, I don’t wish that on [any] man. He got the game ball. He deserves it,” Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward said. “He’s one of the best teammates that you can ask for as a player on this team. He does all the little things. He never takes days off. He deserves it, and everything that’s going to come his way [in] the future, five, 10 years from now when he gets a chance to play in the League. He deserves everything.”
Said Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal, “Mark, even the day of, as emotional as it was, wanted to be around his brothers and his team. You trust that guy with your life because he does everything the right way, regardless of situation and circumstance. And then just looking at him, just hearing him out, this is what he wanted and on top of that, this is what he deserves. … I think if any of us was in that situation, can you imagine? Can you imagine being able to do that? He’s just an elite, unique, off-the-charts human being. He’s just made of the right stuff, and that’s a credit to his parents. He was raised a certain way. That guy is as resilient as it gets. Our hearts, man, what can you say?”
As much as his teammates and coaches’ support has meant over the past few days and as much as he appreciated the gesture of being presented with the game ball, for Fletcher, being on the field Saturday was a given.
He said it’s what his father would have wanted – and it’s what he wanted, too, as a way to honor the man who has meant so much to him and as a way to be there for the people who have been there for him through this difficult time.
“We’re just such a big family. It’s such a brotherhood. When one of us hurts, we all hurt,” Fletcher said. “Losing my dad, it’s so hard. I don’t really know how to cope. I’m still processing. But just being around this team, being around this staff, yeah, I can be down, but they just pick me right up all the time. It’s coming from everybody, not just teammates and coaches, but the staff, the nutritionists, everybody. They’re just all giving me all the support. I love it, man. I’m so thankful.”
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