Battle Red Blog
May he rest in peace.
Former Houston Texans special teams contributor Bryan Braman died this morning after battlefighting a rare and aggressive form of cancer. He was 38 years old. He leaves behind two daughters, his mother, and his sister.
His career spanned six years and two teams, beloved by both, and helped the Philadelphia Eagles win Super Bowl LII by doing what he did best: wrecking shop in special teams and recording a tackle in the game.
But what a tackle it was.
Super Bowl LII would also prove to be the final game of his career; but if your career is going to end, that’s the way you want to cap it off.
He had been battling cancer since February and undergone multiple surgeries to combat it. His GoFundMe raised $88,000 with contributions coming from his fans and former teammates; most notably a $10,000 contribution from former Texans DE J.J. Watt.
Somehow it feels hollow to leave things like this. Bryan Braman meant a lot to Texans fans. To this day, on the rare occasions I get to go to Texans games, I still see people wearing his jersey milling about the stadium. I think of the wild hits he laid out on his opponents and jumping out of my seat at whatever Seattle dive bar I was watching the game at. I think of the roar on TV as the replay would show it in slow motion.
Even now I can feel the slight smile start to curl on my lips just thinking about it.
He never anchored the defense, never played a down on offense, but he would always make himself felt whenever he was on the field. He was one of us, a Texan through and through.
Then I think of him needing to set up a GoFundMe to help pay for his cancer treatment despite having played seven years in the NFL and, ostensibly, having the insurance that the NFL provides its veterans and the smile disappears. That he had to go through multiple surgeries unsure about how he was going to afford his treatments and my heart sinks anew.
It shouldn’t be like this. Not for Braman, not for anyone. He was a beloved part of Texans history and this, this is just a heartbreaking way for a story to end.
Please, tell us your favorite Bryan Braman moment in the comments below.
