• When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
• Where: Rosenblatt Stadium
• Radio: KOZN, 1620 AM
• TV: HDNet
Matt O’Hanlon will have an interesting perspective when he attends his first Omaha Nighthawks game Friday night.
The former Nebraska safety won’t be sitting in the stands at Rosenblatt Stadium.
He’ll be on the field. In uniform.
The Nighthawks signed O’Hanlon on Monday to a one-week contract. The team, knocked out of the hunt for a spot in the United Football League championship game with Saturday’s loss to Sacramento, wraps up its inaugural season with a 7:30 p.m. contest at Rosenblatt.
“I was sitting at the office today and got a call,’’ O’Hanlon said. “I said, ‘Sorry, boss, got to go.’ ’’
O’Hanlon had figured he had played his last down of competitive football when the New York Giants released him in September. He had originally signed with Carolina, was released and signed with Tampa Bay.
The Bucs cut him early in camp and he caught on with the Giants, who then waived him at the end of training camp.
O’Hanlon returned to Omaha and got a full-time job as a sales representative with J. Skinner Baking.
“I did a little bit of stuff to stay in shape, but I realistically had given up football,’’ O’Hanlon said. “I wasn’t expecting anyone to call.’’
The Nighthawks did last week, asking O’Hanlon if he would be interested in going through a workout. O’Hanlon said thanks, but that his full-time job prevented him from taking the team up on the offer.
“They called back Monday,’’ he said, “and said I was on the team if I wanted to be.’’
The Nighthawks had a roster spot come open when safety Aaron Rouse was suspended by the league. Rouse was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct during the third quarter of the 41-3 loss to Sacramento when he grabbed an opposing player’s face mask and swung him around.
That ignited some pushing and shoving between the teams, and Rouse had words with several of his teammates before being removed from the field. Rouse did not return to the game.
O’Hanlon practiced with the Nighthawks on Monday night at Omaha Bryan, running defensive plays with the scout team.
“Fortunately, all I’m going to be doing Friday is playing on special teams,’’ he said. “I’m not going to have to learn the (defensive) system. I just need to be ready on special teams. That’s pretty much it.’’
O’Hanlon said he’ll see how things go Friday before making any decisions about possibly playing again.
And what did his boss say when he told him he needed some time off on short notice?
“He’s a good guy,’’ O’Hanlon said. “I said I’d be back in a week. He said, ‘Go get ’em.’ ’’
Camouflage jerseys for final game
The Omaha Nighthawks plan to wear camouflage jerseys for Friday’s game against Florida at Rosenblatt Stadium.
The Wounded Warriors Family Support and the Ahman Green Foundation for Youth Development have teamed up to underwrite the cost of the commemorative jerseys.
Leading up to Friday’s game, fans can go to www.ufl-football.com and bid in an online auction for the jerseys of Green, quarterback Jeff Garcia, wide receiver Robert Ferguson and defensive end Jay Moore. Green, the running back from Omaha, and Moore, from Elkhorn, are former Nebraska players.
The Nighthawks plan to have Green, Garcia, Moore and Ferguson present their jerseys to the respective highest bidders on the field after the game. All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Wounded Warriors Family Support.
Contact the writer:
679-2298, steve.pivovar@owh.com
twitter.com/PivOWH
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