One hand on his chest, the other on a fracture—Joshua played until his finger finally broke

It was supposed to be just another practice. But for Joshua Farmer, it became a defining moment—the day his pain couldn’t be hidden anymore.

Florida State was preparing for a critical conference matchup. Joshua, a defensive tackle fighting for a starting role, had already been playing through lingering injuries. But that day, something went wrong. On a routine tackle, he fell hard—his right shoulder throbbed and his left hand went numb.

Trainers rushed over. He stood, holding his chest with one hand, gripping his swelling thumb with the other. The staff pleaded, “Josh, come out.” But he shook his head.

“No. One more rep.”

They warned him the hand could be fractured. His body was already screaming for rest. But Joshua wasn’t built to sit out. After everything he’d been through—losing his mother, growing up without a father, fighting through every level of football—pain was just background noise.

He lined up again. The next play, he charged forward—and in that moment, the crack was audible. His thumb had broken completely. He didn’t scream. He didn’t flinch. He finished the play.

Only afterward did he walk off the field and finally let them tape him up. Days later, surgery confirmed the break. He missed the Orange Bowl because of it. But that moment—that refusal to quit—is the kind of grit that made the Patriots draft him in 2025.

Joshua Farmer didn’t just play through pain. He stared it down and dared it to stop him. It couldn’t.