NY Giants: Inside Will Hernandez's emotional surprise of a lifetime

Art Stapleton | NorthJersey

Show Caption Hide Caption Video: Giants’ Will Hernandez on Day 4 of OTAs New York Giants guard Will Hernandez talks to Northjersey.com’s Art Stapleton on shaking the training wheels on the fourth day of OTA’s.

EAST RUTHERFORD — His parents begged Will Hernandez to save his money, even after their son signed his rookie contract with the New York Giants worth $7.45 million.

But unbeknownst to Robert Hernandez and Angelica Lemus, as they sat blindfolded in a car on the way to their family's new Las Vegas home, the Giants' offensive guard ignored their wishes, instead rewarding sacrifices made throughout his journey to the NFL.

"This was something I wanted to do for them, and I was going to do it no matter what," Hernandez told The Record and NorthJersey.com last week. "But I knew I'd have to surprise them because if I didn't, they weren't going to go for it."

So Hernandez, 22, did what he could to keep the secret that would change their lives.

He told his mother and father that he wanted their involvement in a financial planning meeting, and they agreed.

"We drove to the house, and about five minutes before we got there, I blindfolded them and told them that was part of the financial advisers' presentation," Will said with a chuckle. "We got there, I brought them to the driveway and basically told them that, 'Hey guys, everything I've told you has been a lie, and welcome to our new home.'"

He paused before adding with a smile: "You could say there were tears after that."

Hernandez's life has certainly been filled with ups and downs, with his family enduring financial hardships that included a two-year period during high school when Will, his younger sister Kathy and his parents were forced to live in a shed they bought from Home Depot as they struggled to make ends meet.

Robert Hernandez's contracting business was hit hard financially, forcing the family's sacrifice. Then a sophomore, Will dedicated himself to helping Dad, trading in his shoulder pads and hitting people for responsibilities on the job that included, among other duties, shoveling cement and hauling concrete blocks.

His high school coaches convinced Hernandez that he could not only play the sport in college, earning a scholarship to do so, but that he had the kind of potential to perhaps play professionally if things came together.

MORE: How Will Hernandez earned respect of teammates

So instead of quitting football, Hernandez rededicated himself to his grades and learning his craft. Ultimately, he went to UTEP and emerged as an NFL prospect, becoming the Giants' second-round draft pick this April.

“If you look at my life back then and where I am now, it’s completely night and day,” Hernandez said this spring. “I did go through a lot. A lot of it, I can’t complain too much about it because it made me the person I am and shaped me into the player I am. And honestly, I think if I wouldn’t have gone through all that, I don’t know if I’d be here.”

Hernandez is expected to start at left guard next to Nate Solder, whom the Giants made the highest paid offensive lineman in the league at the time when they inked him to a four-year, $62 million. He's drawn comparisons to former Giants guards Richie Seubert and Chris Snee, a four-time Pro Bowler and a member of the franchise's Ring of Honor.

"You know the kid has pride," Giants general manager Dave Gettleman said of Hernandez, whose team went winless at UTEP last season. "He has a tremendous amount of pride because he played as hard in [the final game of the season] as he played in Game 1."

As part of a Facebook documentary series “Destination Dallas” featuring several draft hopefuls represented by the agency Athletes First, Hernandez was profiled. That vignette included his return to the shed as he offered details from those living arrangements. The Hernandez family all slept in one bedroom, and they had a small kitchen and dining area with a ceiling that was barely over five feet high.

At 6-foot-2 and 327 pounds, Hernandez had difficulty moving around in his former home without bumping into the ceiling.

"That helped change my mentality, what we went through, and I wouldn't change that experience, to be honest," Hernandez said. "Completely made me the player I am because I took all of that [emotion] and took it out on the field."

Hernandez has not taken a backseat to anyone in terms of physicality as he gains respect from teammates on both sides of ball.

Saquon Barkley has received the attention befitting an impact rookie, and rightfully so; but when Hernandez promised this spring that if anyone wanted to get to the Giants' rising star running back, they'd have to go through him, that sentiment was embraced by a franchise desperate to change its fate (and attitude) in the trenches.

"When we had that success in ’07 and ’11, it was a tough, prideful group of offensive linemen that hung out together, that really cared about whether we won or lost and really set the tone for the rest of the team, and they were the toughest guys that we had on the team," Giants co-owner and team president John Mara said, referring to his franchise's last two Super Bowl-winning seasons. "I think we kind of got away from that, to be honest with you, and I think in Will Hernandez we see that type of personality."

What the Giants got in Hernandez: someone who will never forget where he came from.

"I'll always be thankful for everything my parents did when I was younger," Hernandez said. "And that moment in front of our new house, that memory will be something I cherish for the rest of my life. The sacrifices they made will always motivate me to be the best I can be."

Email: stapleton@northjersey.com

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