Hall of Fame Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly was a great football player.
According to Kelly's former division rival and 1983 draft classmate Ken O'Brien, the game is only part of the man.
“Sports allow you to live your dream,” the decorated New York Jets alum O'Brien said last week, via Tim Graham of The Buffalo News, “but more important is the legacy you leave by affecting people along the way as a husband and a father and a friend and a teammate.
“That’s much more impressive to me. I don’t think about football as much as the relationships. That’s what sets him apart.”
Kelly lost his son at eight years old in 1997 to a lifelong disease and has been battling recurring cancer the past year. Members of the NFL community, new and old, have continued to show staunch support for Kelly, and as far as NFL great Steve Young it's concerned, it's the least they can do for all he's done for them.
“Just watching how he’s handled the last 10 years teaches you that fame and fortune don’t insulate you from problems in life and don’t keep you from dealing with things in a really spiritually sophisticated way," Young said.
“He definitely has shown me a courage and faith that are really powerful. I’m grateful to him.”
Read Graham's full piece, which ran at the end of last week, here.
“Sports allow you to live your dream,” the decorated New York Jets alum O'Brien said last week, via Tim Graham of The Buffalo News, “but more important is the legacy you leave by affecting people along the way as a husband and a father and a friend and a teammate.
“That’s much more impressive to me. I don’t think about football as much as the relationships. That’s what sets him apart.”
Kelly lost his son at eight years old in 1997 to a lifelong disease and has been battling recurring cancer the past year. Members of the NFL community, new and old, have continued to show staunch support for Kelly, and as far as NFL great Steve Young it's concerned, it's the least they can do for all he's done for them.
“Just watching how he’s handled the last 10 years teaches you that fame and fortune don’t insulate you from problems in life and don’t keep you from dealing with things in a really spiritually sophisticated way," Young said.
“He definitely has shown me a courage and faith that are really powerful. I’m grateful to him.”
Read Graham's full piece, which ran at the end of last week, here.
