Former Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James delivered one of the most poignant and memorable speeches in recent Pro Football Hall of Fame history Saturday as he accepted his spot into Canton, Ohio's shrine for football's legends.
Among other lines, James told the live crowd and television audience that he was "inmate No. 336" in the "Canton Correctional Institute."
"Do your job. That’s what I did. I put my body on my line and I protected my quarterback. If everybody did their job, this country would be a better place," James said.
Per B/R
BEST OF HEALTH, HAPPINESS,WEALTH, BLESSINGS and LUCK TO ALL !!
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To remove first post, remove entire topic.
Former Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James delivered one of the most poignant and memorable speeches in recent Pro Football Hall of Fame history Saturday as he accepted his spot into Canton, Ohio's shrine for football's legends.
Among other lines, James told the live crowd and television audience that he was "inmate No. 336" in the "Canton Correctional Institute."
"Do your job. That’s what I did. I put my body on my line and I protected my quarterback. If everybody did their job, this country would be a better place," James said.
DoubleUp...c'mon man...context is always a good thing. Here's what James said before, and after, the quote you posted:
"For some reason I always had to deal with perception,” the former Colts' and Cardinals’ Pro Bowl performer said. “Perception, though, isn’t always reality. It definitely wasn’t my reality. People looked at my gold teeth and dreads and were shocked and surprised I had never been under arrest or spent time in jail.
So many people told me you can’t have dreads and gold teeth and be accepted in the NFL but I never listened. I always knew who I was – a great football player, a great father, a proud Black man, a lion and this was my mane which many of those doubters would discover when they got to know the real me
Times have changed. Look around the league. Look at some of the young stars. As a matter of fact look at my Hall of Fame bust. Rockin’ the same dreads they said I shouldn’t.
Had James stopped there it would have been more than enough to have been the most inspiring speech of the night, but Edgerrin James always went a step farther in his playing days than anyone thought possible. And so he did again Saturday night in his final football moment.
I’m forever immortalized, locked up in the Canton Correctional Institution … Inmate number 336 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. My career started with gold teeth and ended with this gold jacket. Good night and God bless.”
A broad smile crossed Edgerrin James’ face as he spoke from his heart about what is important, truly important, about his life and his accomplishments. As his voice echoed through the night air at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium the crowd rose spontaneously and stood cheering words that spoke not simply about a race well run or a career of achievement but carried a message about the importance that we all stop judging a book, or a person, by its cover."
Googled it and si.com had the above story.
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DoubleUp...c'mon man...context is always a good thing. Here's what James said before, and after, the quote you posted:
"For some reason I always had to deal with perception,” the former Colts' and Cardinals’ Pro Bowl performer said. “Perception, though, isn’t always reality. It definitely wasn’t my reality. People looked at my gold teeth and dreads and were shocked and surprised I had never been under arrest or spent time in jail.
So many people told me you can’t have dreads and gold teeth and be accepted in the NFL but I never listened. I always knew who I was – a great football player, a great father, a proud Black man, a lion and this was my mane which many of those doubters would discover when they got to know the real me
Times have changed. Look around the league. Look at some of the young stars. As a matter of fact look at my Hall of Fame bust. Rockin’ the same dreads they said I shouldn’t.
Had James stopped there it would have been more than enough to have been the most inspiring speech of the night, but Edgerrin James always went a step farther in his playing days than anyone thought possible. And so he did again Saturday night in his final football moment.
I’m forever immortalized, locked up in the Canton Correctional Institution … Inmate number 336 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. My career started with gold teeth and ended with this gold jacket. Good night and God bless.”
A broad smile crossed Edgerrin James’ face as he spoke from his heart about what is important, truly important, about his life and his accomplishments. As his voice echoed through the night air at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium the crowd rose spontaneously and stood cheering words that spoke not simply about a race well run or a career of achievement but carried a message about the importance that we all stop judging a book, or a person, by its cover."
DoubleUp...c'mon man...context is always a good thing. Here's what James said before, and after, the quote you posted: "For some reason I always had to deal with perception,” the former Colts' and Cardinals’ Pro Bowl performer said. “Perception, though, isn’t always reality. It definitely wasn’t my reality. People looked at my gold teeth and dreads and were shocked and surprised I had never been under arrest or spent time in jail. So many people told me you can’t have dreads and gold teeth and be accepted in the NFL but I never listened. I always knew who I was – a great football player, a great father, a proud Black man, a lion and this was my mane which many of those doubters would discover when they got to know the real me Times have changed. Look around the league. Look at some of the young stars. As a matter of fact look at my Hall of Fame bust. Rockin’ the same dreads they said I shouldn’t. Had James stopped there it would have been more than enough to have been the most inspiring speech of the night, but Edgerrin James always went a step farther in his playing days than anyone thought possible. And so he did again Saturday night in his final football moment. I’m forever immortalized, locked up in the Canton Correctional Institution … Inmate number 336 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. My career started with gold teeth and ended with this gold jacket. Good night and God bless.” A broad smile crossed Edgerrin James’ face as he spoke from his heart about what is important, truly important, about his life and his accomplishments. As his voice echoed through the night air at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium the crowd rose spontaneously and stood cheering words that spoke not simply about a race well run or a career of achievement but carried a message about the importance that we all stop judging a book, or a person, by its cover." Googled it and si.com had the above story.
I find most of his speech iignorant and a slap in the face to all the players before him who were horribly discriminated againist ...Making himself a celebrated conquer of fake victimhood..
BEST OF HEALTH, HAPPINESS,WEALTH, BLESSINGS and LUCK TO ALL !!
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Quote Originally Posted by DB51daBEARS:
DoubleUp...c'mon man...context is always a good thing. Here's what James said before, and after, the quote you posted: "For some reason I always had to deal with perception,” the former Colts' and Cardinals’ Pro Bowl performer said. “Perception, though, isn’t always reality. It definitely wasn’t my reality. People looked at my gold teeth and dreads and were shocked and surprised I had never been under arrest or spent time in jail. So many people told me you can’t have dreads and gold teeth and be accepted in the NFL but I never listened. I always knew who I was – a great football player, a great father, a proud Black man, a lion and this was my mane which many of those doubters would discover when they got to know the real me Times have changed. Look around the league. Look at some of the young stars. As a matter of fact look at my Hall of Fame bust. Rockin’ the same dreads they said I shouldn’t. Had James stopped there it would have been more than enough to have been the most inspiring speech of the night, but Edgerrin James always went a step farther in his playing days than anyone thought possible. And so he did again Saturday night in his final football moment. I’m forever immortalized, locked up in the Canton Correctional Institution … Inmate number 336 in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. My career started with gold teeth and ended with this gold jacket. Good night and God bless.” A broad smile crossed Edgerrin James’ face as he spoke from his heart about what is important, truly important, about his life and his accomplishments. As his voice echoed through the night air at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium the crowd rose spontaneously and stood cheering words that spoke not simply about a race well run or a career of achievement but carried a message about the importance that we all stop judging a book, or a person, by its cover." Googled it and si.com had the above story.
I find most of his speech iignorant and a slap in the face to all the players before him who were horribly discriminated againist ...Making himself a celebrated conquer of fake victimhood..
Quote Originally Posted by undermysac: If everyone in this country HAD a job, it'd be a better place Country would be a better place if one income provided for a household ( what happened ?) This dude comparing the NFL to a prison is insane ..
How many years did you play in the NFL? And it's certainly a Covid prison now run by tyrannical psychopaths. Let's be real, the perceptions of authoritarian boot lickers (D-Up) do NOT equal reality.
Relax. I'm unvaxxed!
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Quote Originally Posted by DoubleUp4Life:
Quote Originally Posted by undermysac: If everyone in this country HAD a job, it'd be a better place Country would be a better place if one income provided for a household ( what happened ?) This dude comparing the NFL to a prison is insane ..
How many years did you play in the NFL? And it's certainly a Covid prison now run by tyrannical psychopaths. Let's be real, the perceptions of authoritarian boot lickers (D-Up) do NOT equal reality.
I've listened to a ton of former players who overcame almost unfathomable hardships during their career/lives . .James conqueror victimhood speech was lame IMO....Today's star players are worshiped
We can disagree ..
We already have 5 threads about Covid, not going there in this one
BEST OF HEALTH, HAPPINESS,WEALTH, BLESSINGS and LUCK TO ALL !!
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@mctrap
I've listened to a ton of former players who overcame almost unfathomable hardships during their career/lives . .James conqueror victimhood speech was lame IMO....Today's star players are worshiped
We can disagree ..
We already have 5 threads about Covid, not going there in this one
I think that's one of the best speeches I've ever read.... I think he missed the mark a little on the "Canton correctional" reference. Tons of white guys in HoT
Speaking of "crazy", a few comments in this thread fit
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I think that's one of the best speeches I've ever read.... I think he missed the mark a little on the "Canton correctional" reference. Tons of white guys in HoT
Speaking of "crazy", a few comments in this thread fit
Geez. You guys don't give it a rest, do ya? Edge wasn't playing up his victimhood nor was he comparing the NFL to prison. He was saying that when he came into the league, because of the grill, the dreads, coming from South Florida, people had a perception of him. He changed that perception through being a good teammate, playing the game the rlght way, and demonstrating character on and off the field. The prison comment was speaking to how when you come from where he comes from, look the way he looks, people assume you can only end up dead or in jail. Well the only jail he ended up in is the Hall of Fame. It was a good speech. You can only hear the "Thank my mom, thank my high school coach..." speech so many times. You guys are turning it into something a lot more than it is.
And Dubs, today's football players aren't worshiped, and Edge isn't one of today's players. Football isn't like hoop, where half the league is a celebrity. For starters, you rarely even see these guys faces. The average fan can recognize Tom Brady, Pat Mahomes but you think the average fan outside of Buffalo could pick Josh Allen out of a lineup? And he's one of the top QBs in the league. These guys aren't worshiped and Edge was definitely looked at like a thug when he first came into the league but people grew to love him because of how he played the game. Was never a prima donna. Never me first.
TIME TO BRING BACK THE OBAMA CAGES!
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@mctrap
@DoubleUp4Life
Geez. You guys don't give it a rest, do ya? Edge wasn't playing up his victimhood nor was he comparing the NFL to prison. He was saying that when he came into the league, because of the grill, the dreads, coming from South Florida, people had a perception of him. He changed that perception through being a good teammate, playing the game the rlght way, and demonstrating character on and off the field. The prison comment was speaking to how when you come from where he comes from, look the way he looks, people assume you can only end up dead or in jail. Well the only jail he ended up in is the Hall of Fame. It was a good speech. You can only hear the "Thank my mom, thank my high school coach..." speech so many times. You guys are turning it into something a lot more than it is.
And Dubs, today's football players aren't worshiped, and Edge isn't one of today's players. Football isn't like hoop, where half the league is a celebrity. For starters, you rarely even see these guys faces. The average fan can recognize Tom Brady, Pat Mahomes but you think the average fan outside of Buffalo could pick Josh Allen out of a lineup? And he's one of the top QBs in the league. These guys aren't worshiped and Edge was definitely looked at like a thug when he first came into the league but people grew to love him because of how he played the game. Was never a prima donna. Never me first.
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