The Bus Is Full As Bettis Heads To Hall Of Fame
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - The Bus makes its final stop in Canton this weekend when Jerome Bettis will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. First, he made a stop to talk to "The KDKA Morning News" with Larry Richert and John Shumway.
Bettis, who spent eight years with Larry and John on KDKA during Steelers seasons, says he is getting more excited as his induction gets, "close to game time."
Bettis is proud of his accomplishments, but know he wouldn't have gotten where he is on his own. He explains he is excited for a variety of reasons.
"Not only for myself, but also for my family. My family has gone on the long journey with me from start to finish and so for them to be able to enjoy this with me as well, that's really part of the excitement for me," he said.
Entering the Hall of Fame is a once in a lifetime opportunity, but Bettis says he is, "Comfortable with the situation. I don't know what to expect but I know what to expect."
He adds he can't predict the emotion he will feel or how he will manage it. He says it isn't something that someone can prepare you for.
Bettis also talked about going public about selling drugs in his youth and being asked about it a lot in recent interviews. Bettis says he doesn't regret talking about it and that it isn't anything new. He adds talked about it in his book that came out in 2007.
"It's nothing new that I've unearthed, I wanted to be completely honest (in the book). I wanted people to see it wasn't just this meteoric rise, there were some rough times," he said.
He says it was his family that helped him to turn his life around.
"To see my dad have two jobs and looking at the worth ethic he had. I realized that (selling drugs) wasn't the right path for me. I knew that I wanted better," he said. "That's what started me to even play football because I wanted to go to college and I wanted to get a college degree."
Along with family and friends, Bettis expects 40 to 50 teammates to be in attendance on Saturday. He says it is means a lot to him that so many former teammates are coming to see him.
"It's an honor to have all the guys that have called and reached out to me and let me know they are coming and want to be a part of it, it's really special," he said.
Bettis says he is glad the current Steelers team is coming to his induction too.
"I'll always be part of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team," he said.
He hopes his speech can inspire today's players and they can say to them, "I can make it up there someday."
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