A few years ago, he even had the opportunity to travel to Santiago de Cuba with his grandfather and visit the place where part of his family story began. He had heard the stories his grandparents told him throughout his life — stories about Cuba, about immigrating to the United States and about the differences between the life they left behind and the one they built.
But being there himself gave him a different perspective.
“To actually be able to go there, experience it, it really gave me a broader perspective of where I came from and the culture that I represent,” Mendoza said.
For him, it isn’t simply about being the first Cuban to accomplish certain things or having a Latino last name on the back of an NFL jersey. It is about understanding that people are watching.
“I always try to take the focus off me,” Mendoza said. “I always want to respect the people who support me, the people who I inspire.”
And that is where Mendoza’s story intersects with the Raiders. Long before Mendoza arrived in Las Vegas, the Raiders had already established a special connection with the Latino community.
Tom Flores played quarterback for the Raiders before becoming the team’s head coach. Jim Plunkett, the son of Mexican-American parents, became the quarterback who led the franchise to two Super Bowl championships.
To Mendoza, they aren’t simply names in the Raiders’ record book. They are part of the reason he was able to look at the NFL and believe that he could do it, too.
“I remember from a young age searching up on Google if there had ever been any Cuban quarterbacks,” he said. “I remember I saw, I believe it was like one or two, but at that point when I saw that there was overall Latino quarterbacks with Jim Plunkett, Tom Flores, I was like, ‘OK, this is possible.'”
