Raiders' Jack Bech says team is getting a '2-for-1 special' in him as he honors late brother
The Las Vegas Raiders selected wide receiver Jack Bech in the second round of the NFL Draft last month, but according to the former TCU star, the team got a "two-for-one special."
Bech's brother, Tiger, was one of 14 victims killed in the terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in the early hours of New Year's Day.
Jack Bech said his dream of making it to the NFL was not just his own, but his brother's dream as well.
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"I feel like, or I don't feel like, I know I'm a two-for-one special now. Not only are the Raiders getting Jack Bech, they are getting Tiger Bech too. This wasn't just my dream, it was our dream, it was something that we talked about from a very young age. My brother always saw it in me way before I even saw it in myself. So yeah, it was definitely our dream," he said during a recent appearance on "Fox & Friends."
"My brother is the one, he pushed me each and every day to be the best. He showed me how to live, he showed me how to play the game, but most importantly, showed me how to be a good human being, how to put others first and how to truly love. So, yeah, it wasn't just me, it was my brother's dream, my family's dream, so that's why I said we."
Bech said finding out his brother was dead was a "weird" and "crazy" feeling, but he has faith in God and trusts Him.
"Oh yeah, it was definitely a weird crazy feeling. You know you never think those things will happen to you until they actually do. It was definitely a hard pill to swallow, but at the end of the day, knowing that God makes no mistakes, and He does everything for a specific reason and purpose and plan, and really just go to your knees and fully embrace that," Bech said.
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"God does everything for a reason and that He will take care of you and my family and that's what me and family did and without our faith and belief and trust in God we definitely would not be where we are today. Just like in the way we handled everything and continue to handle everything."
Bech said his faith originated from his parents taking him to church as a kid, and that his faith in God has been strengthened over time.
"I think obviously my parents from a young age just always bringing me to church, you know just putting the church on me from a young age and just getting older, going through high school and college just (having) different mentors," Bech said.
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"So many different people along the way helping me stay on the right path and not only helping me stay on the right path but truly strengthening my faith along each step of the way. It's been so huge to me, and like I said without all those people in my life helping build up my faith I definitely don't think I would have been able to handle, my family wouldn't have been able to handle the situation the way we have."
Bech spent the first two seasons of his college career with LSU, before he transferred to TCU. The 22-year-old broke out in his senior year, as he had 62 catches for 1,034 yards and nine receiving touchdowns.
Bech will join Brock Bowers, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker as weapons for new Raiders quarterback Geno Smith.
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