Sydney Seau pays tribute to Hall of Fame father

But the league has resisted calls to change the game in order to better protect the mental health of its players, and has tried to downplay the issue-particularly at venues like the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2015 member Charles Haley lifts his presenter, Edward DeBartolo Jr., off his feet after receiving his gold jacket Thursday, August 6, 2015, during the enshrinees’ dinner in Canton, Ohio.

It was an awards show, where the idea is to make the people wait for what they really want. John Bettis told his son that he couldn’t give him much – except for a good name.

Steelers Nation dominated the stands surrounding the proceedings, if ESPN’s camera work is any indication. “Should we walk off the stage?”

So was the endless sea of twirling yellow awful Towels there to greet them and the outpouring of compassion for the legend who wasnt there.

And immediately upon taking the podium, Bettis paid tribute to them. “But now I know the Bus will always and forever run in Canton, Ohio”.

“My life spiraled out of control for years-for years”, Haley said with sweat dripping down his face. It helped cement his legacy as one of the NFL’s most productive backs. She said her dad left the game but never retired. So many people loved him. He pointed out that his mother came to every single game and that his father was his hero. I miss his huge mangled hands strumming on his uke, playing the only five chords he knew, to the hundreds of songs he would attempt to sing off-key. She has three brothers, and they were all in Canton.

“Coming in as a rookie, I’d go to Giant Eagle and his face was on every food item in the store and he’d be driving a big bus with a picture of him on the front and it had marble floors and everything”. When my father sent me off to college, he told me one thing. When the crowd was done chanting the refrain that has been a staple for decades at Three Rivers Stadium and Heinz Field, Mr. Bettis said, “Now I’m at home”. So don’t mess it up. “Congratulations, you made it”. “Without you, he wouldn’t have become the player that he was”, Junior Seau’s daughter said. “It’s about all of those who impacted my life.”. That is something that we all must endure today without his physical presence.

It was Bettis’ dogged determination that separated him from other great running backs.

“He called me “Buddy”, too”, Head coach Bill Belichick chimed in. He thanked Rams Hall of Fame lineman Jackie Slater for teaching him how to be a professional football player. Just as former NFL players Andre Waters, Mike Webster and Dave Costa, former National Hockey League players Bob Probert, Steve Montador and Derek Boogaard and many others did. “I have a friend who’s been on the ballot for a lot of years, Kevin Greene”. “Thank you”.

“It was the hardest game I had to play”. I still remember when you stopped me in the hallway and you saw concern in my eyes because there was talk about me not being there anymore. I’ve expressed that to his family on behalf of our organization. “You can pick yourself up and move forward in a positive way”. “I appreciate that”. “And I know for a fact he would say this honor is yours, along with the rest of the Seau family”. He gave us his time. A special thanks to a couple of my teammates. And Ben Roethlisberger.

While his yards-per-carry diminished late in his career, Bettis remained a viable short-yardage back. The Rooney Rule is probably the greatest sociological advance we’ve had in sports since Jackie Robinson. He said he never considered switching allegiances to AFC North rival Cleveland but couldn’t find any Steeler to invest in emotionally until Bettis arrived from St. Louis in 1996. “C’mon. Get me in!” “He’d try to anticipate it and he’d try to beat you there before you got there”. The third one is failure.

To get the details just right, Buswell went to his roots. But it’s how you recover that makes you a better person. You all were the motivation he needed to become a success. “So don’t screw it up”.