Philadelphia Eagles' Super Bowl winner dies age 38 after battling rare form of cancer
Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl winner Bryan Braman has died at the age of 38 after battling a rare form of cancer. His agent, Sean P Stellato, confirmed his death Thursday.
The former NFL defensive end leaves behind two daughters, Blakely and Marlowe, aged 11 and eight. He once described his seven NFL seasons, his Super Bowl win and his daughters as 'the three greatest accomplishments in my life'.
Diagnosed in February, Braman's unspecified condition was later revealed in a GoFundMe effort aimed at covering his medical expenses. His former Texans team-mate, JJ Watt, personally donated $10,000 (£7,461). When the news of his death broke Watt said on social media: "Rest in Peace brother. Gone far too soon."
Qualified NFL players are eligible for health insurance for five years after they retire. Braman's final season came in 2017 - the Super Bowl being his last ever professional game. The GoFundMe campaign raised nearly $90,000 (£67,153) for Braman.
Organiser William Jones said in June that Braman was "home with his family after undergoing a Car-t cell reprogramming treatment program in Seattle." The treatment initially appeared successful and his cells started "reproducing within his bone marrow," claimed to Jones. But while the mass began shrinking, the "cancer started fighting back".
He was known for his punt blocking ability and during their Super Bowl run when Braman blocked a punt by the Atlanta Falcons in a tight 15-10 win in the divisional round. He recorded one tackle in the Super Bowl as the Eagles beat the New England Patriots 41-33 to win their first NFL championship since 1960.
Braman attended three colleges before stints with the Houston Texas, The Eagles and New Orleans Saints before he returned for a second spell in Philadelphia.
Although he was undrafted out of Idaho in 2011, Braman developed a bit of a cult following as a special teams contributor in Houston, blocking several punts, including one for a touchdown. He was named as a Pro Bowl alternate in 2012.
Braman was adored by his team-mates and former Eagles colleague Chris Long said: "Bryan Braman was an absolute psychopath and he was like our cameo speech guy. And sometimes he would just, real impromptu, start screaming and looking like a fucking hedgehog, knocking shit over in the locker room, eyes bulging out of his head.
"And, of course, he did look like a Sons of Anarchy dude so you were like, yeah, I'm listening. But Braman got going Super Bowl Sunday and I was like, 'Yeah, you got it, bro'."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Packers flip script, give former OC Nathaniel Hackett shot on defense
July 24 - Former New York Jets offensive coordinator and Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett returned to his roots with the Green Bay Packers, but there's a new script in place. Hackett, offensive coordinator of the Packers from 2019-21 before he was hired as the head coach in Denver, signed on to return to Matt LaFleur's coaching staff as a defensive analyst. Hackett worked with the Jets in 2024 but was demoted a month into the season by interim coach Jeff Ulbrich when New York dipped to 27th in total offense (286.6 yards per game) and 25th in scoring (18.6 points). Todd Downing took over as the playcaller at that time. The Broncos fired Hackett after 15 games and a 4-11 record in 2022. Hackett has never officially worked on the defensive side of the ball in the NFL. He was an assistant at Stanford, working with the team's offensive and defensive coordinators, in 2003-04. Green Bay's coaching staff also lists former Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Luke Getsy as a senior assistant for the Packers. --Field Level Media
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Top NFL draft pick Cam Ward gives savage response to teammate's season-ending injury
If there was any doubt that the Tennessee Titans are now Cam Ward's team, the rookie quarterback made sure that he's only focused on himself. Ward's selection by the Titans was hardly a surprise, considering they struggled massively in 2024 under the poor play of Will Levis. When they drafted Ward, the Miami star got permission from Hall-of-Famer Warren Moon to don his No. 1 jersey that the team had 'retired'. But now, Ward will take the starting job uncontested (as opposed to 'virtually' uncontested) after Levis was confirmed to miss the rest of the season earlier this week. The Titans announced on Monday that Levis had underwent shoulder surgery and wouldn't be active for the 2025 season. When asked about how he took the news of his teammate's injury, Ward gave a somewhat ruthless response. 'I didn't really have a reaction. I focus on Cam Ward,' the rookie told reporters. Veteran backup Brandon Allen is set to take the QB2 spot while another career benchwarmer, Tim Boyle, is projected to slide up to QB3. After initially beginning the 2023 season on the bench, Levis replaced Ryan Tannehill for eight games in the middle of the campaign. Last year, Levis became the full-time starter for Tennessee, but did not put up the most impressive numbers. He finished with 2,091 yards - good for only 27th in the league. Levis even finished behind Jameis Winston, who only became the starter for the Cleveland Browns after Deshaun Watson went down with a season-ending injury. Additionally, Levis finished the season with a QBR of 27.8 - good for 32nd in the NFL. He also put up a rough TD-INT ratio of 13 to 12. Levis missed five games in the 2025 season. First, he missed three games after injuring his AC joint in Week 3. Then, his poor performances led to him being benched for two weeks toward the end of the season. Now, Ward is set to get the start after a stellar season with the Miami Hurricanes in 2024. He is the first quarterback that the Titans have taken in the first round since they selected Marcus Mariota second overall in 2015. Ward is also the first first-overall pick that the franchise has had since the then-Houston Oilers took running back Earl Campbell in 1978.
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Jota tragedy affects us all
Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott knows it will be an emotional occasion when the Cherries go to Anfield for the first Premier League game of the new campaign on 15 Liverpool beginning the defence of their title will be completely overshadowed by the knowledge it is the first time the club will have played a league game since forward Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, were killed in a car crash in northern Spain as they returned to England."It was terrible news," Scott told BBC Sport."It affects everyone; all football players, all people around the world. It is devastating."Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, and of course everyone at Liverpool."Obviously, [in that first game] we are against them. We are the opposition but we have to be there for them as well. We are competitors but we are all footballers and we are all people."
