Haley, Brown inducted into Hall of Fame
Charles Haley, with ex49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, unveils his bust in Canton, Ohio, where Haley, former Raiders receiver Tim Brown and others were enshrined Saturday.
CANTON, Ohio — Former 49ers defensive end Charles Haley was thankful Saturday during his enshrinement at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Haley talked about family, teammates, friends and, of course, football. He also told of being diagnosed with manic depression in the late 1980s.
It was his recollection of his depression that captured the crowd’s undivided attention.
“My life spiraled out of control for years,” said Haley, who was presented by former San Francisco owner Eddie DeBartolo. “But today I get to go back into the locker room to my teammates and tell them about the mistakes that I made. The only way you can grow is to ask for help. I walked into the league a 22-year-old man with a 16-year-old inside of me screaming for help, and I didn’t listen.
“Today, I take my medicine every day. And I try to inspire others to do the same.”
Joining Haley in the Class of 2015 were Raiders receiver Tim Brown, Steelers running back Jerome Bettis, former Bills general manager Bill Polian, late Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, Chiefs guard Will Shields, Vikings center Mick Tingelhoff and ex-Packers GM Ron Wolf.
Haley is the only player in NFL history to play on five Super Bowl-winning teams. He made the Hall of Fame after 11 years of eligibility and six years as a finalist.
He won two championships with the Niners before being traded to the Cowboys where he won three more.
During his 12-year NFL career, Haley had 100½ sacks. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.
Brown led chants of “Raiders! Rai-ders!” in a joyous moment more than a decade after the last of his 1,094 receptions and 105 touchdowns.
He said he had worried his time would never come. The nine-time Pro Bowler was presented for induction by his brother Donald Kelly.
Only Seau was elected in his first year on the ballot. His daughter, Sydney, paid tribute in an onstage interview after a video featuring family photos and clips of his bone-crushing tackles. It was a concession made by the league after saying its policies would not allow her to make an introductory speech.
“You are a light, and I want nothing more than to see you come on stage and give the speech you were meant to give, give me a hug and tell me you love me one last time,” Sydney Seau said, her voice breaking during the interview. “But that isn’t a reality.”
While the Hall offered Seau a spirited homage, it did not address the brain disease that led to his early demise and has cast a cloud over the NFL.
Seau, who doctors say had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease caused by repeated blows to the head, committed suicide in 2012 by shooting himself in the chest. His family has filed a wrongfuldeath lawsuit against the league, which was lumped into a class-action lawsuit brought by former players who have accused the NFL of hiding the long-term effects of head injuries.
“I just want to give the speech he would have given,” Sydney said in an interview last month with the New York Times. “It wasn’t going to be about this mess. My speech was solely about him.”