Jerome Bettis

“In Detroit, at least in my household, you might be poor, but you better be honest. You work for what you get.”

“Looking at my life as a whole, I think this would be one of those critical milestones, just like winning the Super Bowl itself. Accomplishing my degree at 49, ultimately 50, I think that's probably going to be more significant because of what I've had to do to get here.”

“My dad worked two jobs and my mom worked full-time so that they could afford to send me to this private Lutheran school starting in the fourth grade.”

“I cannot imagine for the life of me getting through a season with even a handful of wins after my offensive coordinator was fired in the preseason.”

“Most good teams can only beat you two ways, the quarterback throwing or the running back running.”

“Broken ribs are one of the worst injuries. I know, because one time I broke three ribs, which is a pretty rare thing. Usually you just break one, but I had the trifecta.”

“A coach and the other players need to know they can count on you.”

“Football is ultimately a young man's sport.”

“The biggest starting tailbacks were 230 or 240 pounds, and I was playing at 260. Now that I'm gone, people are classifying players as Jerome Bettis-like. Any time you can create a category, you've changed the game.”

“As a football player, you always need the threat of being benched. If you don't, you never have to push yourself.”

“The guys who played in the 60s with leather helmets probably looked at my generation of the game as being a bit more protected, maybe even weak, because we wore actual helmets and face masks.”

“Because it's so testosterone driven, it'd be really really difficult for a gay player to stand up and say 'hey, I'm gay and an NFL player.'”

“The NFL protects you for five years after you retire, but the multitude of injuries come 10, 15, 20 years after you retire. Those are when the ailments start to come, and at that time, you're not covered. That's doing a disservice to former players.”

“When you don't have a quarterback in the NFL, you're not going to be a really good football team.”

“Running backs need multiple carries per series to be effective. It allows you to set up plays and bait defenders. If you don't get multiple touches, you'll be out of rhythm and less likely to have this mental advantage.”

“I think it's important for the game to evolve and put players safety at the forefront of the rule changes and play calling. It is always better to have players that fans want to see on the field, rather than hurt and not out there on the field.”

“I worry because my running style is not one that's going to enable me to play in the league for 14 or 15 years.”

“It can be scary to leave the sport when it's one thing you've known for decades. The day football is no longer in your life is a traumatic experience.”

“I'll take Trent Richardson in a heartbeat. Give me that guy: he's polished, he knows how to get it done. He's been on the big stage.”

“Doug Martin is incredible, and I like him as a runner, but if I had to pick a team, I want a bigger guy that can be more durable, hopefully, in the long run.”