Reggie Scott was on the Los Angeles Rams' sideline when Jimmy Garoppolo's errant interception ended the NFC Championship game, and he said one thing went through his mind.
"Pretty simple, we're going to another Super Bowl."
Scott is not a Rams player, like Salesianum's Troy Reeder, but rather the Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance for the Rams.
In his 12th season working with the Rams franchise, Scott said his job every Sunday is to act as an advocate for his players' health.
"On the sideline, the main thing is acute care. Injuries happen on the field, evaluating them, can they return safely, can we help them get back on the field with a quick diagnosis? Obviously, you have your more emergency things, with the emergency action plan, but on game day, usually the hay is in the barn from a prep standpoint, it's just the acute care to make sure guys stay on the field."
Scott's pathway to the NFL actually began with baseball. The former Dover Senator went on to West Virginia University, where he played baseball until an injury derailed his career.
At the same time, Scott had already joined the Mountaineers' athletic trainer program, where he found a passion.
"When baseball didn't work out, I really fell in love with athletic training. When I got into the profession, it really took off for me. The passion for the human body, the passion for understanding how to get people better and caring for people. It really gravitated to me, and I went 100 miles per hour and kept it rolling."
This will be Scott's third Super Bowl, having been on the staffs of the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 2003 Carolina Panthers, and said like the players, he can't let the stage affect his performance.
"It's kind of the same, believe it or not. I call it 'jumbotron medicine.' It's a big deal, right? You have millions of people watching how you do medical health care. You keep it simple, it's just another game. Our goal is to provide the most safe environment for our athletes and good processes to take care of them if something happens."
One of those players he oversees is Reeder, and Scott said the Delawareans have developed a bond with the former Blue Hen.
"Delaware's repping hard for the Rams right now. We're super close because we're both from Delaware. We talk a lot of crap between Dover and Salesianum, so that's pretty awesome. We were just talking today about getting to go to the Super Bowl together. It's a small state, but a special state."
In addition to working with the Rams, Scott is also the President of the Professional Football Athletic Trainers Society and said especially during Black History Month, he wants to see more diversity in his profession.
"People of color, women, we want more of that in the profession. We're going to do a spotlight for some of our PFAT members on our social media sites, just so people get awareness of what is out there. [There's] nothing like having aspirations of doing something and seeing someone who looks like you."
Scott said he's been pleased to see athletic training become more important, especially in states like Delaware, where virtually all high schools have an athletic trainer assigned to games and practices.
"It's an allied health care profession, we do everything you can think of medically for these guys from sore throats to COVID to rehabbing ACLs, high ankle sprains, and Lisfranc [injuries]. I think that awareness is why you're seeing secondary schools find it important to have athletic trainers on the sidelines throughout the country."
Scott now lives on the West Coast, but said he makes it a point to return to home at least once a year, to see his parents and sister and enjoy the Delaware beaches.
"I love to see my family when I'm out there, but they'll be travelling out here this week, and it'll be great to see them."
Football fans hope they don't have to see much of Scott on Sunday as they aim for a clean and healthy football game, but if an injury takes place for the Rams, a Delawarean will be there ready to help them on the road to recovery.
