WATCH: Bryant Young uses Hall of Fame speech to give emotional tribute to late son
Bryant Young, a former Notre Dame star and Super Bowl champion, was enshrined into the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio over the weekend, and used his speech to honor is late son, Kobe, who passed away in 2016. Like they always say, football is just a game.
Here is the incredibly touching tribute from Young about his son.
“I’ve introduced five of our children, Now I like you to meet Kobe,” Young said. “Born in August of 2001, Kobe loved life. He had an infectious smile, many interests, including football – he was a happy kid. And Fall of 2014, when he was 13, he started having headaches, a CAT scan revealed a brain tumor. I had just had knee surgery and deserved our full attention, but our focus and [my wife’s] shifted to Kobe. Five days later, surgeons removed the tumor and told us it was cancer.
“Kobe was back. As for eight days later, his spirits were good. He had the heart of a lion. My injuries seem trivial. Radiation would weaken him. Doctors told Kobe to give up football. It absolutely broke his heart. He turned the page and focused on basketball. The treatments were hard. Kobe showed immense courage, he felt good for months. We really were hopeful.
“The following in October, Kobe said that ‘I have a headache.’ The cancer was back. Doctors tried immunotherapy but it has spread too far too fast. Kobe sensed where things were heading and had questions. He didn’t fear death as much as the process of dying. Would it be painful? Would he be remembered? We assured Kobe we keep his memory alive and continue speaking his name. On October 11, 2016, God called Kobe home. Kobe you live on in our hearts. We will always speak your name.”