By Ed Birch, Special Writer
The Cincinnati Bengals picked South Brunswick Vikings alumnus and Rutgers Scarlet Knights star wide receiver Mohamad Sanu in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft last Friday night.
With this selection, Mr. Sanu becomes the first South Brunswick High School player ever selected in the NFL Draft.
The Friday night announcement capped off a unique 24 hours of excitement and confusion as Sanu was the victim of a prank caller who claimed they were a representative of the Bengals, claiming that Sanu had been selected in the opening round of the draft.
According to published reports, the caller was a student from Rutgers and later apologized for the incident. The story gained national attention in the sports media.
The actual selection by the Bengals Friday, “capped off a dream of a lifetime,” Mr. Sanu said.
”This is a dream that has lived with me from the onset of my childhood interest in sports,” Mr. Sanu said. “I love every aspect of football.”
Mr. Sanu said the Bengals were one of a few teams that were on his wish list and he has already spoken with Head Coach Marvin Lewis and A.J. Green, the Bengals featured wide receiver.
”They flew me out to Cincinnati immediately and want me there next month. Training camp is just around the corner,” Mr. Sanu said. “One of the first things I did in Cincinnati was throw out the first ball at Saturday’s Reds vs. Astros baseball game. These fans are already cheering for me.”
The Dayton resident said he intends to complete his college education with a degree in labor studies.
He hopes to use his coursework along with his agent to negotiate his first professional contract with the Bengals who are coming off a 9-7 season.
The Bengals had Mr. Sanu try on jersey number 3 to represent the round that he was drafted in, but Mohamad has settled on uniform number 12, which is twice the number six that he wore during his Vikings and Scarlet Knights days.
Mr. Sanu, who said he likes to give back to his community, has coached the local Pop Warner youth football team in South Brunswick.
”I wish the local youngsters continue with the program, work hard to play for the Vikings and go on to college,” Mr. Sanu said. “I urge everyone involved to help the kids fulfill their dream, just like me. This is one kid from Sierra Leone, and later Dayton, NJ who is fulfilling his dream.”
By playing for the Bengals, Mr. Sanu said he is well aware that he will have road games in Baltimore and Philadelphia during the 2012 campaign.
”I can just see how many of my supporters are already making their plans to come out and see the Bengals,” Mr. Sanu said. “My phone has not stopped ringing since my name was read at the microphone. My heart just stopped the instant that I heard my name came over the television.”
Sanu said he needed to thank his family, Vikings Head Coach Rick Mantz, and Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano.
”They made me into the player that I am and will be.”
Coach Mantz said he was “at the edge of my seat all night” watching the NFL Draft.
”I knew that it would just be a matter of time before the right team would make the selection. I know the type of person that Mo is and I know his abilities inside and out,” Coach Mantz said. “Coach Lewis is getting not only an excellent player, but a super human being who will be devoted to his entire team and make them a winner. He handles himself as an excellent, top notch person.”
”All of us at South Brunswick High School are looking forward to Mohamad taking the field for the Bengals, but we are even prouder of the outstanding young man that we have seen him become through his years both here and at Rutgers University,” South Brunswick High School Principal Tim Matheney said. “We are all so very proud of him.”
South Brunswick Schools Superintendent Dr. Gary McCartney called Mr. Sanu “truly an amazing young man.”
”He personifies all of the essential qualities that form the cornerstone of success – commitment, enthusiasm, courage, integrity, and genuineness. He has served as a wonderful role model for all of our athletes and has been and still is an outstanding ambassador for the South Brunswick School District,” Dr. McCartney said. “I have every expectation that Mo will not only be a success on Sundays (and a Thursday and Monday night) but on every day and in every endeavor in which he engages.”
During a televised interview, former Rutgers Head Coach Greg Schiano, now head coach with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, called Sanu “a great player, a great young man, and everyone should be prepared to see him prove that he belongs in the NFL.”
Rutgers new Head Coach Kyle Flood said he is “really excited about the selection.”
”Coach Lewis called me to express his own excitement. He couldn’t be any more positive of about the visions that he has for Sanu,” Coach Flood said. “He will have “major impact on the day-to-day activities of the new Cincinnati Bengals.”
”Myself and my family, both home and at Rutgers, are just so excited about these events,” Rutgers Athletic Director Tim Pernetti said. “We all knew that this moment was coming at some time Friday. Mo is just such a great kid, and the Scarlet Knights family wishes him nothing but the best in his NFL future.”
The final icing on the cake occurred Saturday morning, when Confectionately Yours, the noted South Brunswick Ice Cream establishment on Route 27, and frequent stop for Mr. Sanu, announced that they will be adding a Bengals flavor ice cream to their offerings in honor of South Brunswick’s new NFL star.
