At the invitation of former New York Governor George Pataki, two Ukrainian soldiers took a break from fighting the Russians on the front line and came to the United States for the Super Bowl week. Yuriy Hundych and Roman Bohuslavsky were met with a standing ovation at the 2023 NFL Honors, which also featured an address by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The defenders also attended the Super Bowl game on Sunday – something they could never dream of.
The @NFL has committed to supporting the Ukrainian people in their fight for freedom during the course of the 2022 season.
Tonight, that support culminates in a special moment at #NFLHonors, highlighting Ukrainian football players and a message from President Zelenskyy. 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/lfUHkrkSae
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) February 10, 2023
According to Opoyi, Yuriy Hundych, 41, and Roman Bohuslavsky, 36, play American football in Ukraine.
Hundych owns an advertising company and is the President of the Ukrainian League of American Football (ULAF). He played for the Kyiv Patriots.
Bohuslavsky is a lawyer and played for Uzhhorod Lumberjacks.
Now, both are junior sergeants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, ones of many Ukrainian American football players who voluntarily changed shoulder pads for bulletproof vests.
A “Who If Not Us” documentary culminated the Ukrainian theme during the Super Bowl week. The documentary focuses on Roman Bohuslavsky’s younger brother and teammate, Danylo Bohuslavsky, who died in combat in October 2022 while liberating Kherson. Before his final battle, Danylo asked that a part of his ashes be scattered over Kherson, according to Hromadske. Hundreds of millions of TV viewers watched the “Who If Not Us” in prime time.
