Trending
The Maui News
Hercules Mata'afa posted a thank-you letter to the Minnesota Vikings and their fans on his Twitter page Wednesday after he was cut by the team Tuesday, after three years on the roster.
The Lahainaluna High School graduate was among the final cuts for the Vikings -- the announcement came after the cutdown deadline had passed on Tuesday.
"Thank you guys for everything," Mata'afa's latter began. "As of this morning when I found out my time in Minnesota was over it hit me on how good I had it here."
Mata'afa was undrafted out of Washington State in 2018 despite being the 2017 AP Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He was signed quickly after by the Vikings but was injured and missed his rookie season in 2018.
He played in 19 games over the last two years at defensive end, recording 25 tackles and 2.5 quarterback sacks.
"All I ever wanted was an opportunity and you guys gave it to me," Mata'afa wrote. "Every time I went out there on the field I laid it all on the line. ... I want to thank the fans, my teammates and organization for giving me the opportunity."