Watch CBS News

Titans Rookie Rescues Family From Burning Car

(CBS) Before Titans training camp even began, rookie linebacker Jonathan "Tig" Willard made headlines.

Willard, who signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent, was driving from South Carolina to Nashville for the start of training camp when he noticed a vehicle emitting black smoke on Interstate 40.

"I saw this car in front of me, and it had all kinds of black smoke coming out of it," Willard told TigerNet.com, a website that cover Clemson sports. "I tried to speed up and get up next to the car to let them know the car was on fire.

"When she pulled over, the car was really on fire at that point. The driver, she acted like she was in some kind of daze or something. She told me that she didn't stop because she didn't think it was her car that was on fire. Another guy stopped, and we managed to get the kids and the dog out and get them to safety, and then I finally got the woman out."

The family watched from a safe distance as the entire car went up in flames. No one was injured in the fire.

"I was thinking that I was just doing what everybody else would do, but there were cars just going past us and no one else was stopping, so I don't know if that is what would happen or not," Williard said.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.