Blue White Illustrated

DISCOMFORT ZONE Both on the field and off, the Nittany Lions' veteran safety views complacency as the ultimate opponent, one that he intends to confront head-on on't bother trying to intimidate Lamont Wade. It won't work. Wade, who is preparing for his second season as Penn State's starter at the field safety position, has built his game around a steadfast refusal to back away from any challenge or con- cede any fight. It was Wade who jarred the ball loose from Justin Fields last season just as the Ohio State quarterback was crossing the goal line, causing a fumble that denied the Buckeyes a first-quarter touchdown that they were inches away from scoring. In the third quarter, after the game had seemingly gotten away from the Nittany Lions, Wade recovered a J.K. Dob- bins fumble, then blasted Fields again on Ohio State's next possession, knocking the ball loose and setting up a Micah Parsons recovery. That he and his teammates had been staring at a double-digit deficit on the road against the Big Ten's highest-ranked team didn't faze the Nittany Lion safety. As he explained recently, nothing ever fazes him. Said Wade, "One thing I really don't do in life is fear. I don't really fear anything." That approach applies to his life both on and off the field. In addition to being one of the Nit- tany Lions' top defensive returnees, Wade has been one of the most vocal members of Penn State's athletic community on the issues of so- cial justice that have dominated the headlines in recent months. Scroll through his Twitter feed and you'll find dozens of posts addressing racial inequities and calling out complacency in all its forms. His is a freewheeling brand of commentary that doesn't flinch from the most contentious issues of a highly polarized mo- ment in American public life and doesn't spare anyone on either side of the political establish- ment. Wade is quite willing to let the chips fall where they may. If it leads to some bruised feel- ings, well, he can live with that. "There's a famous saying by Kurt Cobain that I love: 'I would rather be hated for who I am than loved for who I'm not.' I'd rather be me and have the world hate me for being me," he said, "than try to be something I'm not and get the love of millions." Wade was quick to speak out when Penn State teammate Aeneas Hawkins took to social media a few months ago to describe an inci- dent of racial harassment that he experienced while filling up at a gas station. The senior safety also spoke out about the protests that swept the nation throughout the summer and has weighed in frequently on the national conversation that has followed. "I feel like a lot of people really don't see things from a certain perspective all the time," Wade explained. "I feel like it's really good to have perspective on any situation through dif- ferent lenses. These situations occur often over and over again. I just feel like it's important for | D >> LAMONT WADE'S

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