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Buffalo Bills star Michael Hoecht has gone viral after footage revealed how he refused to get treatment on his torn Achilles, just so he could stay and support teammates.
Hoecht suffered the season-ending Achilles injury during the fourth quarter of the Bills' 28-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.
The Bills have since shared a video of the aftermath of Hoecht's injury, with the defensive end seen limping towards the sideline before asking for assistance.
After shouting: 'Help me out! Help me out!', Hoecht was helped over to the sidelines by medical staff, where he was told: 'It sure feels like you popped your Achilles.
Hoecht let out an expletive before the staff member continued: 'It's going to be better for you to ride in a cart'.
That's when the 28-year-old asked whether he would be allowed to stay on the sidelines, in order to cheer on his Bills teammates.
Bills star Michael Hoecht has gone viral after refusing to get treatment on his torn Achilles
Footage showed Hoecht (No. 55) hobbling to the sidelines after tearing his Achilles
As his teammates offered their support to him, he returned the favor with passionate cries for the remaining Bills stars to seal the win over Kansas City.
In one instance, Connor McGovern went over to Hoecht and said: 'Love you buddy'. The injured star replied: 'Hey, go win this s***'.
Hoecht then requested that he moved to sit with the defense, where he continued to offer encouragement and support to the Bills as they went on to beat the Chiefs.
The clip on the Bills' social media went viral in the aftermath of the game and fans were quick to praise Hoecht as a 'warrior' for refraining from getting treatment.
Taking to X, one fan wrote: 'This is one of the more inspiring, gut wrenching, displays of toughness I’ve ever seen. Props to Hoecht. Just devastating'.
'This video got me all teared up. I feel for you, Mike. Love your passion and can’t wait to see your return next season. #GoBills #BillsMafia,' another said.
'I’m looking forward to next year already with this dawg,' another wrote.
Meanwhile, an MMA account responded and wrote: 'Wrong sport but respect to Hoecht. That warrior mentality transcends games'.
However, instead of heading inside and receiving treatment on his Achilles, Hoecht requested that he stay on the sidelines so that he could continue supporting the Bills on Sunday night
Fans rushed to social media to heap praise on 'warrior' Hoecht after the footage went viral
Hoecht later revealed that he successfully undergone surgery on his torn Achilles
'Michael Hoecht's determination and leadership, despite a season-ending injury, exemplify the spirit of sportsmanship and team unity,' another said.
Following Hoecht's injury in the fourth quarter of the win, he took to X the next day to confirm that he had undergone surgery over the issue.
Taking to X, he wrote: 'Surgery went well [thumbs up emoji] Huge s/o to Dr. ElAttrache for putting me back together. Best in the business.
'Thank you to everyone who reached out, road to return starts now'.
Hoecht joined the Bills this offseason after signing a three-year $24million contract with Buffalo.
He was suspended for the first six games of the 2025 NFL season after violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy.
