Ex- Saracens captain Floyd Steadman admitted he almost deleted the email informing him of his inclusion on the New Year's Honours list. Steadman was one of the many sporting names recognised on the 2022 list.
Alongside Steadman, the sporting list was dominated by football with four Euro 2022 Lionesses in Leah Williamson, Beth Mead, Ellen White and Lucy Bronze all included, as well as former player and fan-favourite pundit Chris Kamara.
It is no doubt a special moment for any member of the public to be notified of the honour, but the former Saracens star initially thought the email informing him of his achievement was trash.
Speaking to Sky Sports , he said: "We get the email at the end of November, and it is just titled 'NY 23 OBE' and that didn't register with me, and I nearly just threw it in the trash! I thought 'well I'll just save it until later on.
"Then later that evening I read the email, and I read it five or six times to make sure I was reading the right thing."
Explaining what it means to be included on the list, Steadman went on: "It is a huge, huge honour. For someone like me it is remarkable."
Steadman has been recognised for his effort towards rugby union, education and charity, having lived a quite remarkable story himself. The former Saracens captain was taken into care at a young age after running away from his abusive father.
After excelling in rugby union, Steadman became a trailblazer for ethnic minorities within the sport, after being named the first black captain of an English Premiership side. Following his rugby career, the 63-year-old excelled in the education sector after becoming a headmaster.
Speaking further on his achievement, the rugby star went on: "I have been reflecting over the last few weeks, and I still can't believe I am trying to process the whole journey of where I started, to the recognition now. It is a complete honour."
