{"id":11627,"date":"2021-05-18T11:38:46","date_gmt":"2021-05-18T15:38:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=11627"},"modified":"2021-05-18T11:46:25","modified_gmt":"2021-05-18T15:46:25","slug":"lakota-player-lands-spot-on-professional-football-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/18\/lakota-player-lands-spot-on-professional-football-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Lakota player lands spot on professional football team"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TCeqdapsxLc?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The Wuerffel Trophy: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/TCeqdapsxLc>Teton Saltes Notified he&#8217;s 2020 Wuerffel Trophy recipient<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h1-responsive\">&#8216;It\u2019s definitely been a journey&#8217;<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">New York Jets pick Teton Saltes aims to  inspire Native youth <\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Tuesday, May 18, 2021<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\">Kevin Abourezk<\/A> <A href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kevin_Abourezk\"><I aria-hidden=true class=\"fab fa-twitter\"><\/I><\/A><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe unlikely journey for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorkjets.com\/team\/players-roster\/teton-saltes\/\">Jets\u2019 latest recruit<\/a> started as an afterthought.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nLike so many young Native men, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Teton_Saltes\">Teton Saltes<\/a> loved basketball, but he also knew he needed to stay busy, stay fit.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nSo during his junior year at Valley High School in Albuquerque, he decided to try playing football during the basketball off-season.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cI got bored my junior year waiting for basketball season to come around,\u201d the 23-year-old Oglala Lakota man told Indianz.Com recently. \u201cI decided to kill time for basketball.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The New York <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Jets?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Jets<\/a> are signing former New Mexico OT Teton Saltes. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/bI3wrqNLiI\">pic.twitter.com\/bI3wrqNLiI<\/a><\/p>&mdash; NewJetNation (@nation_jet) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nation_jet\/status\/1388639012672491528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 1, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut after he sacked the quarterback three times and blocked several field goals during his first game, he realized his future might lie on a grassy field, rather than a cement court.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know what the heck I was doing,\u201d he said.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBut it felt right, and he kept playing, eventually getting offers to play for such football powerhouses as Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas A&#038;M and Duke.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nHe eventually accepted an <a href=\"https:\/\/golobos.com\/roster\/teton-saltes-3\/ https:\/\/golobos.com\/roster\/teton-saltes-3\/\">offer from the University of New Mexico<\/a>, where he became an all-conference player and won several national awards, including the Allstate and American Football Coaches Association\u2019s Good Works Team for his efforts to help those in need.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAnd earlier this year, he was given the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.unm.edu\/news\/teton-saltes-named-winner-of-wuerffel-trophy\">prestigious Wuerffel Trophy<\/a> for his <a href=\"https:\/\/wuerffeltrophy.org\/teton-saltes-of-university-of-new-mexico-selected-as-2020-wuerffel-trophy-recipient\/\">community service and his athletic and academic achievements<\/a>. The honor was announced live on The Home Depot College Football Awards on ESPN.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We did it. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/SIVIzdVOQF\">pic.twitter.com\/SIVIzdVOQF<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Teton Saltes (@Beast__Mobile) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Beast__Mobile\/status\/1347394791328280578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">January 8, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nOn May 1, the 6-foot-6, 322-pound offensive lineman signed a contract with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cWhere I\u2019ve gotten today, I didn\u2019t do it alone,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only reason I got there was I had such a great support system.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nSaltes spent his earlier years on the Pine Ridge Reservation, riding horses and becoming steeped in the culture and history of his people and his family, a family long known for its athletic prowess.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nHis aunt, SuAnne Big Crow, was a basketball legend for the Pine Ridge Thorpes, helping that team win the 1989 South Dakota state basketball championship game with a last-second winning basket. She died in a car accident in 1992 while driving to an event where she was to receive an award for her athletic achievements.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nSaltes\u2019 mother Laticia Decory played for Brigham Young University, and his older brother Adonis played for Southern Utah University.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nSaltes left the reservation not long after finishing elementary school there, moving first to Phoenix and later Farmington, New Mexico, before landing in Albuquerque.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBut he maintained his connection to his people\u2019s homelands, returning every summer. The young Lakota man enjoyed the freedom of the reservation and loved being around his family.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nDecory said she is still awestruck by the news of her son\u2019s professional football contract.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s just exciting to me because I can remember way back when he was younger,\u201d she said. \u201cI couldn\u2019t imagine what he was going to do with his life.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nShe said everyone on the reservation is now a Jets fan. People have been driving by their home honking, and others have stopped by to have her son sign their helmets. One person called to say he had gotten a Jets tattoo.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cThat excitement is just amazing,\u201d she said. \u201cI still don\u2019t even think it has hit me.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" data-attachment-id=\"11641\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/18\/lakota-player-lands-spot-on-professional-football-team\/tetonsaltes-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltes.jpeg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"tetonsaltes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltes-1024x768.jpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltes.jpeg\" alt=\"tetonsaltes\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11641\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Teton Saltes. Photo courtesy <a href=\"https:\/\/wuerffeltrophy.org\/teton-saltes-of-university-of-new-mexico-selected-as-2020-wuerffel-trophy-recipient\/\">University of New Mexico<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nShe said she hopes her son\u2019s achievement will inspire other young Lakota boys and girls to fight for their dreams. Decory said the road to the NFL wasn\u2019t an easy one for her son, who at times expressed frustration and fears that he might not reach that level.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cHe pushed through it, and he pushed through it,\u201d she said. \u201cHe had to do things that he didn\u2019t want to do to get where he wanted to go.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBut Saltes isn\u2019t only a football player, and he said he hopes to use his new fame to advocate for causes in which he believes.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nHe hopes to finish his law degree after getting settled into his professional football career, and he hopes to continue speaking out on behalf of Native people and others.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nHe has already testified before Congress and the Senate in support of a bill to expand early child care funding and spoke before the New Mexico Legislature in support of funding for mental health initiatives for student athletes, helping secure nearly $500,000 for that cause.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cIt was really cool and definitely something that we really needed,\u201d he said.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Tune in tonight 7 <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NMinFocus?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NMinFocus<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NMPBS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NMPBS<\/a>.  We talk to <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UNMLoboFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@UNMLoboFB<\/a> Teton Saltes about his advocacy in tribal communities as a life awareness mentor &amp; Save The Children advocate. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OglalaLakota?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OglalaLakota<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SuicidePrevention?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#SuicidePrevention<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/NM?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#NM<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Lobos?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Lobos<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CommunityService?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#CommunityService<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/U0xgX43R1t\">pic.twitter.com\/U0xgX43R1t<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Antonia Gonzales (@antoniajen14) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/antoniajen14\/status\/1200457023596482563?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 29, 2019<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nIn the future, he hopes to establish an organization that would teach young Native children to lobby state, federal and tribal leaders and to harness their political power to help their people.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cA lot of people here want to create change on the reservation, but they may not know the best way to do it,\u201d he said. \u201cI would love to establish something that would teach them how to do that stuff.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nBut for now, he plans on focusing on his football career, and recently, he left the Pine Ridge Reservation to begin rookie training camp.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s definitely been a journey, a journey that\u2019s just now beginning,\u201d he said.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=row>\r\n<div class=col-8>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"960\" data-attachment-id=\"11636\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/18\/lakota-player-lands-spot-on-professional-football-team\/adonistetonsaltes\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/adonistetonsaltes.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"720,960\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"adonistetonsaltes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/adonistetonsaltes.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/adonistetonsaltes.jpg\" alt=\"adonistetonsaltes\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11636\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"col-4 align-self-end\"><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Teton Saltes, right, his brother Adonis and a family member celebrate. Photo courtesy Laticia Decory<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=row>\r\n<div class=col-8>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1257\" height=\"1676\" data-attachment-id=\"11650\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/18\/lakota-player-lands-spot-on-professional-football-team\/tetonsaltescommunity\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltescommunity.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1257,1676\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1587043350&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"tetonsaltes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltescommunity-768x1024.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltescommunity.jpg\" alt=\"tetonsaltes\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11650\" \/><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"col-4 align-self-end\"><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Teton Saltes won the prestigious Wuerffel Trophy in recognition of his work in suicide prevention and awareness and literacy in Indian Country. He also has advocated for mental health funding for student athletes. Photo courtesy <a href=\"https:\/\/wuerffeltrophy.org\/teton-saltes-of-university-of-new-mexico-selected-as-2020-wuerffel-trophy-recipient\/\">University of New Mexico<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" data-attachment-id=\"11643\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/18\/lakota-player-lands-spot-on-professional-football-team\/tetonsaltes\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltes.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1707\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"tetonsaltes\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltes-1024x683.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltes.jpg\" alt=\"tetonsaltes\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11643\" \/><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Teton Saltes on the field at the University of New Mexico. Photo courtesy <a href=\"https:\/\/wuerffeltrophy.org\/teton-saltes-of-university-of-new-mexico-selected-as-2020-wuerffel-trophy-recipient\/\">UNM<\/a><\/figcaption>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The unlikely journey for Teton Saltes, the New York Jets\u2019 latest recruit, started as an afterthought.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11641,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,1,21],"tags":[1558,1561,167,34,60,97,98,1560,1559,102],"class_list":["post-11627","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","category-national","category-sports","tag-football","tag-laticia-decory","tag-new-mexico","tag-new-york","tag-nfl","tag-oglala-sioux","tag-south-dakota","tag-suanne-big-crow","tag-teton-saltes","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/18\/tetonsaltes.jpeg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-31x","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11627","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11627"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11627\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11627"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11627"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11627"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}