Teammates of rising star cornerback Prince Amukamara are attributing the player’s strong start this season —Amukamara has tallied two interceptions, seven passes defended and 25 tackles in the Giants’ first four contests — to some offseason changes.
But unlike most players, who embark upon additional training or alter their nutrition during the off months, Amukamara, a devout Catholic, made a much bigger change: he got married. And that means some other new changes for Amukamara, who has famously stated that he was waiting until marriage to lose his virginity.
As a result of his recent nuptials, the fourth-year cornerback, according to safety Antrel Rolle, is “[walking] around with a little more swagger, which is something that we need, something that we love.”
Amukamara tied the knot with Pilar Davis, whom he met at a New York nightclub three years ago, during the summer, according to the NY Post. Of his abstinence from sex before marriage — for which his teammates dubbed him the “Black Tim Tebow” — Amukamara said, in a 2013 interview with Muscle & Fitness, “I grew up Catholic, so it just started out as one of those things… I said no drinks, no sex, all the big things… It’s just one of those things I haven’t done, and I don’t see any benefit to doing it.”
Rolle, however, has seen plenty of benefit on the field, saying, “There are a lot of things different about Prince. For one, he’s married, so he’s [enjoying some things that he wasn’t experiencing before he was married]. For a man, that could definitely help him out.”
Rolle also said that Amukamara’s ascendance as a player can’t all be attributed to losing his virginity, mentioning that, “He’s just developing more as a man and accepting challenges and being the dominant player that we need him to be that we know he’s capable of.”
The 2 – 2 Giants, coming off a dominant 45 – 14 win over division opponent Washington, certainly hope, whatever the source of Amukamara’s improved play, that their 2011 first-round pick will continue shutting down opposing wide receivers against the Atlanta Falcons on October 5.
The Falcons currently roster two of the top receivers in the game — Julio Jones and Roddy White — so Amukamara’s skills will be put to perhaps their greatest test of the season thus far. Amukamara spearheads a Giants secondary that is ranked 2nd in the NFL, allowing only a 73.4 passer rating to opposing QBs during the first four games of the season, according to SB Nation.