Troy Polamalu was an all-time great on the gridiron for the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, as evidenced in this clip of his former teammate Bryant McFadden giving Polamalu extensive appreciation, he is an even better man, via the All Things Covered podcast.
“The reason I read this, is because you didn’t have to write me this letter…you didn’t have to pay attention to what I was dealing with…I kept this letter still to this day, and I wanted to share this with you…for you to be the player that you were, the individual that you are…I appreciate you for being who you are…this is who you really are.”
In this heartwarming clip, Bryant McFadden tells an emotional story about the career-ending injuries he suffered in 2011 with the Steelers. He goes on to read out loud a letter that Troy Polamalu wrote him at the time that praised McFadden for his toughness, perseverance, and for being an inspiration to Polamalu. It was a sincere token of appreciation for their friendship, and McFadden took the time on his podcast to shout out Polamalu for being the type of human being who would give such a letter to someone going through such a tough time.
It is quite the tearjerking story, one that speaks volumes about who Troy Polamalu is as a human being. Stories have come out over the years about how empathetic and genuine Polamalu is, and here is just another example of how great of a man he demonstrates to be on a daily basis. The Pittsburgh Steelers can be proud that they can call both Bryant McFadden and Troy Polamalu former defenders of the Steel Curtain.
Jack Deignan is an artist of many mediums who grew up playing every sport under the sun, contributing to his extreme passion for all major US sports today. He split his youth between the cities of Chicago and Cleveland before receiving his undergraduate degree in English and Film and TV from UCLA. When not following and writing about sports, Jack loves to make music, design, write stories and try new things.
