'I Got Goosebumps': Vikings Fans Inspired By Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, The Team's 1st Black GM
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota Vikings fans are celebrating the arrival of the team's new general manager, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
"I think it's a great day for Minnesota Vikings fans," said Marcus Zackery. "It's something fresh, it's something new, but hearing him talk about research and analytics...that was amazing. I think they got the right person for the job."
Adofo-Mensah will lead the charge towards bringing a Super Bowl appearance and win to Minnesota.
Fan TJ Richardson says watching Adofo-Mensah speak for the first time was life-changing.
"I was just sitting there at my computer chair, I got goose bumps," he said. "I could just feel the chills going through my body."
Richardson says he went back to research the new general manager, and what he saw made him proud of the Vikings' choice and excited that a young Black man is getting a chance to show what he can do.
"For the first time in my life I get to see -- and this is no offense to nobody -- but I get to see somebody who looks like me," Richardson said.
More importantly, Adofo-Mensah will serve as an inspiration for young people, letting them know you can reach the highest levels of the game without playing one down.
"It's not just playing in the field, you can be a trainer, you can be a data and research guy...there is so much more to the game than just playing the game," Zackery said.
"To see us not be the athlete, but to be the mind -- that was major for me," Richardson said.
Major to see the person at the helm of this Viking ship, bringing much needed diversity to the league.
"I think representation is very important, but I also think they hired the right person for the job. Him being Black just adds icing on the cake for me, so it is good to see that kind of representation in the NFL," Zackery said.
Adofo-Mensah's first big job will be hiring a new head coach.