Last night, Curtis Martin was enshrined into the NFL Hall of Fame. He became the first Jet since 1985 to enter into the hallowed halls commemorating football achievement. Yet, Martin’s speech embarked on a different route. He didn’t talk about passion for the game. Instead, he bluntly stated that he questioned following football as a career path immediately after being drafted in the 1995 by Bill Parcells and the New England Patriots. Through his speech, Martin focused on his mother. He told stories from his childhood, outlining the hardships he faced and why he was forced into playing football. Football became an activity to keep him out of the streets of Pittsburgh and to keep his mother happy. Martin emphasized that he only continued to play the game because he could use it as a vehicle to help other people. Despite his thousands of yards on the gridiron, Martin said that his greatest accomplishment in life was helping other people. The game of football taught Martin about hard work, a trait he continues to apply into anything he does. It was only this weekend, listening to other Hall of Famers speak of the game, did Martin began to develop a love for it.

A member of the site, Smedsthejet, posted:

Just finished watching his speech – brutally honest, yet extremely inspiring. Football was the means through which Curtis Martin learned the most important lessons in life, and it’s therefore fitting that he was rewarded with the highest honour a player can earn for his play. A great running back, an even better person and an amazing Jet.

Sources :

Curtis Martin reflects on mother’s pain, lack of passion for football at Hall of Fame : http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl--curtis-martin-reflects-on-mother%E2%80%99s-pain--lack-of-passion-for-football-during-soul-baring-hall-speech.html
NFL.com Speech: http://www.nfl.com/videos/auto/0ap2000000046267/2012-HOF-Curtis-Martin