NFL star Vince Wilfork pulled a woman from a car wreckage with one hand... and is playing in the Super Bowl in two weeks

Wilfork, who weighs 23 stone, said it "wasn't a big deal"

Tom Sheen
Tuesday 20 January 2015 10:59 EST
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(Getty Images)

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New England Patriots defender Vince Wilfork helped rescue a woman from her car after it had been overturned in a crash.

Wilfork, who weighs more than 23 stone, was driving home after the Patriots beat the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night to book their place at the Super Bowl.

“I wanted to help. Anybody would do the same thing,” the 33-year-old said Monday as the team began their countdown to face the Seattle Seahawks.

“I saw the lady in there. I asked her was she okay, can she move, can she grab my hand…. I actually opened up the door and pulled her out. It wasn’t a big deal. It was just seeing somebody that needed help and helping them.”

A report from the Massachusetts State Police shows that state troopers found a brand new Jeep Wrangler on its side on Route 1 in Foxborough.

"To their surprise, New England Patriots defensive tackle Vince Wilfork was beside the vehicle checking the operator (inside). With a trooper at the scene, Wilfork reached in and 'helped lift the operator out of the vehicle with one hand,'" said the report.

The driver, Mary Ellen Brooks, was taken to a local hospital where she was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol.

Wilfork added: "Through football and the course of life, I learned just to try to stay poised in certain situations.

"I’m pretty sure she was kind of scared. So the last thing I want to do was have her panic. And that’s the first thing I told her. I said, 'Don’t panic. I’ll get you out of here.'

"My job right then and there was to help the person in the car. If I see it a million times, I would do it a million times."

Despite his team reaching the sport's biggest game, he and wife Bianca reflected on the incident.

"You know, things are a lot more precious in life than all these games or anything you accomplish in life…. and it showed last night. Even though we won the AFC championship, there was a life in danger. So we’re just happy to help."

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