The Dallas Cowboys were on the road for their second preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, but it was one of their players who received the biggest cheers from the crowd at State Farm Stadium.
That would be rookie offensive lineman Shiyazh Pete. The first NFL player from the Navajo Nation was warmly greeted by the crowd as he took the field for six snaps in Dallas' 34-13 win.
Pete acknowledged he "had a feeling" that he would get such a reception from the crowd in Arizona.
"Phoenix is home to a lot of Native American tribes, obviously we got to see that," Pete explained during a postgame media availability. "It was incredible."
Nonetheless, the 23-year-old was humbled by the standing ovation he received when he came onto the field.
"I just want to take a moment to thank the fans, and the people who showed up to support me, celebrate my name and wear my jersey," Pete told reporters. "I lost count of how many Navajo Nation flags I saw. I saw a Salish Nation flag as well, which was awesome."
Pete later called the entire experience "surreal" and noted it was hard to explain the emotions he felt while on the field.
The 6-foot-9, 309 pound tackle was better able to express himself in the locker room, after Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer noted he had never seen anything like the support the undrafted free agent got from the crowd and asked the 23-year-old to break down the team.
"That was an incredible win," Pete said. "I am very fortunate to be amongst you and to play in the same field, wear the same star holding on our chest. I'm proud of us, proud of how far we've come. Fate brought us here as strangers, but this game, this star, this team will make us brothers."
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this game, this star, this team will make us brothers 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/rEcvDTzSkd
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 23, 2026Pete's speech was met with jubilation from his Cowboys teammates, and Schottenheimer heaped praise upon him during his postgame news conference.
"I'll say this, maybe one of the hardest workers I’ve been around," Schottenheimer said. "Maximized all his opportunities. Everyone loves him because he's like the way he is today. And like I said, when he broke it down, I mean the room went crazy just because he spoke from the heart and he talked about how this family has brought us all together and now we're bonded for life."
"He's doing a good job for us," he added. "Had to move into guard and doing things he hasn't done, but he's another guy that fits that play style we're talking about. And it was really cool to see him have that moment, but also our players join in and helping to celebrate him."
Clearly, Pete has made an impression on the Cowboys. Now, the biggest question facing the Kentucky product is whether he will be able to make it onto Dallas' 53-man roster, or perhaps secure a spot on their practice squad.
Regardless of what happens, Pete remains grateful to the Cowboys for giving him an opportunity to chase his NFL dream.
"It's just to show that I'm very thankful to this team," Pete said when discussing his locker-room break down. "... It is through the Cowboys, this organization, Jerry Jones that I'm able to participate and be amongst such incredible people."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cowboys rookie Shiyazh Pete earns rave reviews after locker room speech
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