The Warrior

I was sitting in my hotel room a few weeks ago watching "Inside the NFL" on HBO. Hotels are my only oppurtunity to view the show, since I don't get HBO at home. Each week there is a special feature story. This week, the special feature opened with a scene of a large, young, black man hobbling down the stairs in his house. He grasped at the railings on either side and looked as though he could lose his balance and topple down the steps at any moment. It was Monday, the day after game day, and the man was Jerome Bettis.

Bettis, "The Bus," is the reason I'm rooting for the Steelers in two weeks during the superbowl. Not blessed with Bo Jackson speed or Barry Sanders agility, "The Bus" has used what gifts God has given him to square up his shoulders, run straight ahead, bury opposing defenders, and become one of the all time leading rushers in NFL history. Simply put, Jerome Bettis earned his yards the hard way, pounding the football for 13 seasons.

Over the course of those 13 seasons he has endured countless injuries, surgeries, and rehabilitations. Through it all, "The Bus" came back. Now, at age 32, Bettis can hardly walk the day after his game. The week leading up to game day is one long rehab project preparing him for 60 minutes on Sunday. Why does he do it?

He does it because he is driven. He is driven to help his team win, and he must have more guts than any man in the NFL. He will almost certainly suffer the long term effects of the physical beating his body has absorbed in 13 years. So will his opponents. Players who play defense pride themselves on hitting, but the fact of the matter is; you don't hit "The Bus." "The Bus" hits you.

You do not read about Bettis in the newspapers, criticising teammates, complaining about not getting the ball enough, ripping on his coaches. You do not see Bettis in the endzone doing silly dances. There is no sharpie, no cell phone when "The Bus" finds paydirt. He pumps his fists, celebrates a few high fives with his teammates, and relinquishes the field to his field goal unit. Of all men with reason to tout their own exploits, this man does not seek extra attention. Neither does he look for excuses when the job does not get done.

Jerome Bettis is a warrior who loves his game. When he steps on the field despite all the aches and pains, it's his heart that keeps his legs churning forwards. In all his courageous 13 years in the NFL, "The Bus" has yet to earn a Superbowl Ring. It's about time he did. Go Steelers.