How Raiders QB Garoppolo satisfies his need for speed
Jimmy Garoppolo is flying high in more ways than one.
The NFL veteran and first-year Raiders quarterback recently joined the “9G Club,” taking flight in a U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 Fighting Falcon, according to a release from league sponsor USAA and its Team Whistle group.
Garoppolo reached Mach 2, which is approximately 1,500 mph, and barreled through air combat maneuvers during his visit to Nellis Air Force Base. He also fought to sustain consciousness under 2,000 pounds of pressure.
“Preparation is everything, and the Thunderbirds (training) is very similar to being in the League,” Garoppolo says in the release. “There’s an endless amount of possibilities in football … but when you’re prepared, you don’t get that nervous feeling, you’re excited to put on display what you’ve been studying and what you’ve been working on.”
The experience was hosted this summer by USAA, official NFL Salute to Service Partner, as part of its “Salute to Service” initiative.
Contact Tony Garcia at tgarcia@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307. Follow @TonyGLVNews on X.
