A New England Patriots player was honored by police in Tempe, Arizona as a hero for helping stop an attempted sexual assault incident that occurred last Saturday (March 20.)
Offensive tackle Justin Herron and a second man, Murry Rogers, intervened after a 30-year-old suspect was seen pushing a 71-year-old retired school teacher to the ground, ESPN reports.
The Tempe Police Department said Herron, a 2020 sixth-round pick who made six starts in 12 appearances for the Patriots during his rookie season, has been training in Arizona during the offseason.
"We are here to honor two good Samaritans that intervened during this vicious attack and detained the suspect until police could arrive and make sure that he was taken into custody," said Detective Natalie Barela of the Tempe Police Department during a news conference on Wednesday via ESPN. "If not for the swift actions of Mr. Justin Herron and Mr. Murry Rogers, this vicious attack could've been much worse."
"The impact they've had on our victim's life; these two individuals stepped forward and truly saved her life," added Tempe Police Chief Jeff Glover.
Barela said the 71-year-old woman experienced "a significant amount of trauma, but she is working through some of these things and physically doing OK" following the incident.
Herron and Rogers were both presented with an "Outstanding Citizen" certificate by the Tempe Police Department during the news conference.
The 25-year-old offensive lineman said he reacted after hearing screaming in the park.
"You see it in movies and TV all the time, but you never think it's going to happen in real life until it does. In that moment, I was in shock," Herron said. "It was 11, in the middle of the day, not one cloud in the sky and in a very open field. The fact it happened there, at that time, was very shocking. In the moment, I wish I could tell you what I was thinking. I just knew someone just needed help. All I could do was just rush myself over there to make sure I could help the victim and make sure I could comfort her and be the best person I can be."
The 6-foot-5, 305-pound former Wake Forest standout said his size was beneficial in the situation.
"I'm a football player, so I'm kind of big," Herron said. "I try not to be too aggressive with people knowing I could potentially hurt somebody. I do have a very loud voice, so all I did was just yell, tell him to get off her, and then yanked him off. And I told him to sit down and wait until the cops come."
Tempe Police confirmed both Herron and Rogers met with the victim at some point after the incident and "there was not a dry eye in the room."
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