XFL San Antonio Brahmas

Know My Name: Brad Wing, San Antonio Brahmas Punter

Published on April 13, 2023 under XFL (XFL)
San Antonio Brahmas News Release


San Antonio Brahmas head coach Hines Ward had a question to ask Brad Wing when the punter walked into his office before the season.

Earlier in training camp, Ward asked all his players to tell him about their "why" for playing, eager to learn about their motivations and journeys to reach the XFL.

Ward was hoping Wing would be willing to share his why in front of the entire team. He thought it would have a good impact on all the players. Wing agreed to do so.

So one day Wing, 32, stepped in front of his new room of teammates and told them his why. About his time in the NFL. About his struggle with substance abuse. About his mental health struggles. About his new sobriety. About the love he has for his 10-year-old son.

"It's not fun to talk about but it's my truth," Wing said. "Once I shared that truth with everyone on the team, I just felt very welcomed by them. Everyone was very open. And from that day onwards, I felt a lot closer to all the players, all the coaches, all the staff."

It wasn't just Wing who felt support after the dialogue. Others on the team were impacted, too. Ward called it a moment he'd never forget as a coach. Long snapper Rex Sunahara said it meant the world that a teammate would be that open with the group.

When the team voted on captains later in camp, Wing had the most votes of any player. Ward says Wing's transparency and forthcomingness that day was the reason.

"He's just earned a lot of people's respect," Ward said. "He opened himself up to be vulnerable to his teammates. He was up there shedding a tear."

Many players likely knew about Wing well before they became teammates in the XFL. While most punters blend into the background, Wing has always stood out amongst the crowd.

He was on the cutting edge of the Australian punter movement sweeping across college football. He moved to Baton Rouge, La., for his senior year of high school and then earned a scholarship to LSU.

He made headlines with the Tigers during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In 2011, he scored a 52-yard touchdown on a fake punt play that was nullified because of the then-new taunting rule. He also had a standout performance that year in No. 1 LSU's overtime win over No. 2 Alabama.

He declared for the NFL Draft after the 2012 season. While he went undrafted, he earned a spot with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014. He then spent the next three seasons with the New York Giants.

"You don't really hear about punters and kickers and long snappers when you're young but with him he scored a touchdown in the SEC on national television," Sunahara said. "I've known about Brad for a long time. It's been a pleasure to have him as a teammate and now to call him a friend, it's great."

In his last season with the Giants, Wing admits he didn't put the work in to improve like he did in the past. He understands it was his fault.

But looking back at that time, he also realizes he was not in a good space mentally and did not have the support system to help himself identify that and get better.

"I kind of just gave up, to be honest, on myself," Wing said. "I quit on myself."

Having lost his dream job, Wing said he turned to substances to numb the pain and not deal with reality.

He started altering his path in life when he realized he was teaching things to his son that he wasn't doing in his own life. He wanted to change and show his son that his father never gave up.

On Dec. 5, 2021, Wing entered a treatment facility for substance abuse. He has stayed sober ever since. Wing now has a support system around him and said he basically has a new life.

"I think people respond to guys who haven't had an easy road," Brahmas tight ends coach and special teams coordinator Scott Boone said. "Brad hasn't had an easy road his whole life. He's had struggles. The fact that he owns up to them and puts them out there and shows vulnerability makes people respect him even more and understand how important this is to him."

Ward said he knew about some of Wing's issues before drafting him. He said some people told him to stay away from Wing. But Ward wanted to give the man who "transformed into a totally different person" a second chance at his football dream.

Wing has been one of the best punters in the XFL this season. He leads the league in punts, punting average, total yards, and longest punt. He is also tied for second for punts inside the 20-yard line.

Boone said Wing has bought into their system on special teams. Wing could boom it 70 yards down field every single time, Boone said, but that's not what they want him to do.

The staff want him to give their gunners and blockers chances to tackle the returner by Wing punting it around 50-53 yards with a 5.0 hangtime.

"I've been around a lot of guys," Boone said. "I've haven't seen anybody work any harder on a daily basis just to make sure he makes adjustments that need to be made on his own style and also helps the younger guys out there that are following his example."

Ward highlighted Ward's energy and positivity, saying that players gravitate towards him because of it.

Sunahara said he helps keep the specialists' heads in the game and is someone who is approachable if he ever needs someone to bounce ideas off about anything.

"He's gonna put his all out there," Sunahara said. "And if you're not, then what are you even doing out here? It's one of those things where you can't put it into words how much it means for someone to be that open about it."

Wing knows this might be the end of the road for him in football. He would love for the NFL to call his name or continue to keep playing but he knows nothing is guaranteed.

What he wanted with this XFL opportunity was a chance to end his career the right way.

And if this is the end, Wing said it would be a positive, happy conclusion to the football chapter of his life because he is doing it the right way.

"There was a long time where I thought like football was done for me," Wing said. "I thought that part of my life was done with. To have the opportunity to come out here, practice, play, be on a team with great guys, it's all the stuff I really missed about it. I'm grateful for every single day out here."

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