Bettis Hard At Work On Hall Of Fame Induction Speech, Plans To Thank Many In Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Jerome Bettis is just weeks away from being officially recognized as one of the all-time greats.
The retired Pittsburgh Steeler will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, on Aug. 8. For Bettis, it's a dream that has finally come true.
Bettis knows what it's like to break a tackle, score a touchdown and win a big game.
But now The Bus is making the trip to Canton and has to prepare for another big moment in his career, deliver his induction speech in front of the world.
"I'm not nervous to give the speech, I'm nervous writing the speech because I've been trying to get words to paper, and it just for some reason, hasn't been able to stick," said Bettis. "So, that's the difficult part of the process."
Bettis is still working on his speech, but he did give offer up a sneak peak of what he plans to talk about.
"The majority of the speech is going to be thanking all the people that have helped me so much, and it's going to be a lot of people from the Pittsburgh area," Bettis said.
Bettis has done a lot of right things on the field, and his induction speech is the one thing he wants to get right off the field.
"When I go back and look at this whole process, by far the hardest part is making sure that you're saying the thing that make a lot of sense and you're acknowledging the people that have influenced your life and your career," Bettis said. "So it's an important moment and I want to make sure I get it right."
Bettis's brother, John, has the honor of making the big introduction.
"It was a pretty easy decision. It was between my brother and my mother, and she just had a bout with breast cancer that she was able to deal with. But it was more so a moment that I wanted my brother to really have," Bettis said. "He's been a diehard Steeler fan since we were kids. I was not a Steeler fan growing up, he was a diehard Steeler fan, so this is something… he's going to represent my father as well. So, it's going to be a special moment for us and I really believe for our relationship."
The induction ceremony is set for Saturday, Aug. 8, but Bettis will arrive in Canton on Thursday to receive his gold jacket at the dinner for those who will be enshrined.
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