LOCALS IN THE NFL

Former BYU DE Ziggy Ansah Happy To Be In Seattle

May 15, 2019, 1:41 PM

Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions reacts on the bench during the NFL game against the Arizona ...

Ezekiel Ansah #94 of the Detroit Lions reacts on the bench during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on December 09, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

(Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)

SEATTLE, Wash. – Former BYU defensive end Ziggy Ansah is settling in to his new home in Seattle after signing a one-year deal with the Seattle Seahawks on May 8.

He spent the first six seasons of his career with the Detroit Lions, who selected him with the fifth overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Ansah joined the “Brock and Salk” show with Mike Salk and Brock Huard on ESPN 710 in Seattle to talk about signing with the Seahawks, his time in Provo with BYU and his shoulder injury.


Seahawks DE Ziggy Ansah: Seattle Was ‘Perfect Fit’ For Me


Comparing Ghana To Provo

Huard and Salk found out that when Ansah first came to the United States was when he went to college at BYU.

“It was different,” he said. “Coming from Ghana, it’s a different culture. Coming to Utah, you have the mountains. The one thing about Utah was the people out there were really nice,” Ansah stated.

He was just happy to go to the United States at that time and wanted an education.

Shoulder Injury

The main reason why Ansah wasn’t picked up by an NFL team earlier was due to a shoulder injury that forced him to miss 9 games last season.

“It’s been a great progress,” Ansah said. “I come out every day trying to work to make it better, out here in the organization working with the guys. So it’s been good,” he added.

The former Cougar was aware of the delay in interest from NFL teams as a free agent but was remaining patient.

“I knew what it was and I knew I wouldn’t be picked early during free agency,” he said. “I just had to exercise patience and I think it just happened at the right time.”

Now that he has signed with the Seahawks, the question surrounding Ansah is when he can be on the football field again following the injury.

“You know, I’m just going to take it a day at a time,” Ansah mentioned. “I don’t have a timeline as of right now. I’m just waiting to see what the doctor is going to say, but until then, I’m putting in the work every day to get the body right,” he stated.

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