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PLAYSTATION FIESTA BOWL: PENN STATE VS WASHINGTON

December 28, 2017

DaeSean Hamilton

Glendale, Arizona

DAESEAN HAMILTON: Parents were doing military things, deployed in different places. Me and my brother, we obviously went to school together. We were only two years apart. We went to school together.

It was really me taking on the role of another caretaker for him, basically just raising him myself and along with my parents' aid and things like that. And just always looking after him. So taking on more of a big brother role for him especially, because he's special needs and things like that, to take on a bigger brother role at a younger age, help me mature and doing all the things I was doing, making sure I was looking out for him and worrying about myself secondhand. That's where the relationship and that bond came from.

Q. What's his name?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: Darius Hamilton. D-a-r-i-u-s.

Q. Two years younger?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: Two years older.

Q. And so where he is at now?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: He's actually here. My parents flew in last night with him and my sister. They got in around midnight last night. They'll be at the game.

Q. So that's pretty special.
DAESEAN HAMILTON: Yeah, for him to be able to see my last game, it's going to be pretty cool.

Q. I know there's different levels of autism?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: His is nonverbal. I was too young at the time to understand. So nonverbal. He hasn't been able to talk since I can remember. I've never heard him speak a word, things like that.

Him on the spectrum, he's nonverbal. But he knows, like, we basically communicate through sign language and through gestures, things like that. He's still able to communicate and things like that.

Q. How meaningful how has that changed you and your life to deal with --
DAESEAN HAMILTON: It's made me mature a lot more at a young age, especially with the fact that obviously at a young age I didn't know really anything else.

A lot of young kids don't have to go through things that, but since that's all I knew, that's basically how I live my life. Just making sure I was taking care of my brother, and anything he needed I was going to be able to provide for him just like my parents would be. I was like a third, fourth parent for him, including my sister.

So that's really all I knew at a young age, made me mature. And it humbled me at a young age as well, really not to take anything for granted and to know that he would probably give anything to be in my position and everything I'm doing in my life.

Q. Are your parents still in the military?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: Both retired, 20-plus years.

Q. Your brother lives with them?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: My brother lives -- he's 24 and he lives at home with my mom and dad, yes.

Q. How old is your sister?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: My sister is 13 years -- so she's 35.

Q. How does that relate over to football?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: The things in football that I'm doing is for him. Like I said, it's humbled me and allowed me not to take anything for granted, because, like I said, a lot of things I'm doing he's not able to do.

And I know he would probably die to be in the position I'm in. So a lot of things I'm doing, I'm making sure I'm not taking it with a grain of salt and I'm putting my all in it, and doing things to make him and my family proud. That's my motivation and my why for a lot of things I'm doing.

Q. Is your family going to the game?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: Flew in last night. My mom, dad, brother, sister are all going to be at the game.

Q. When he's nonverbal, does he understand what's going on when he goes to a football game?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: A little bit. Doesn't necessarily follow, but he knows like when people are making a lot of noise something good has happened, obviously.

I don't know if he can necessarily spot me out on the field, but, yeah, my parents basically let him know what's going on, kind of communicating, pointing to see where I'm at, things like that, that's how he's able to understand exactly what's going on.

Q. Mike Gesicki, friend club, would you say you guys are pretty close?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: Me and Mike, yeah. I always like to give Mike a hard time, act like he's not my friend at all. We've been best friends for quite some time now.

All started with just being on the football field together, making plays together, and going through hardships, through college being able to bond through things like that and bonding off the field, hanging out a lot of times, and obviously spending a lot of time with one another.

And him and he, I guess, started that friendship club and things like that, but then I say Mike's one of my better friends on the team.

Q. Are there any new additions to the friend club?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: Tommy Stevens, like he said before, he was one of my -- he's actually one of my good friends now, too. I love Tommy to death.

Talking to guys like Nick Bowers and Ryan Buchholz. I barely talk to those type of guys, but they're friends with Mike, so I extended my little friend circle a little bit. But a lot of those guys, talked to them a little bit, and they're pretty funny, getting to know them a little more over the years. It's been cool.

Q. What can you tell us about Tommy's new role, the Lion?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: I found about that a couple of days ago. I don't know what that is. But Tommy is dynamic, running ball, throw the ball, catch the ball anything. Tommy is another weapon for us on offense.

And we always try to find a way to get him involved and things like that, because we know he can make plays when the ball's in his hands. He loves his role. He knows he's going to take whatever he can and make the most of it. And he's been doing a great job of that.

Q. What can you say about Mike's career, the ups and down, you've had a front row seat for all of it?
DAESEAN HAMILTON: Mike's done some legendary things here. He's one of the better guys with better ball skills and better receiving tight ends, better tight ends I've seen overall.

But, yeah, his career here has been kind of a bumpy one in the beginning. But these past few seasons has been amazing for him. He's done a lot of great things.

And obviously he deserves all the credit. And he deserves all the recognition because he's worked hard for it. And it's something that he's really taking pride in, putting a lot of work into his craft, and it shows up on Saturdays.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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