From Immokalee to immortality, Edge does it his way – The Herald Bulletin

Edgerrin James is one of a kind, and now he has a Pro Football Hall of Fame bust to match.

The former Indianapolis Colts running back became the first player to be depicted with dreadlocks on his bronze sculpture, and if the image had been smiling, it might have included gold teeth as well.

Fitting for a man who made a career out of defying expectations. Whether it was outplaying Heisman Trophy winner Ricky Williams the man many expected Hall of Fame general manager Bill Polian to select with the fourth overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft or coming back faster and better than imagined from a serious knee injury, James always did things in accordance with his own code.

His very rise from Immokalee, Florida, to football immortality was an act of defiance.

For some reason, I always had to deal with perception, James said Saturday night during his enshrinement speech in Canton, Ohio. Perception, though, isnt always reality. It definitely wasnt my reality. People looked at my gold teeth and dreads and were shocked and surprised I had never been under arrest or spent time in jail. So many people told me that you cant have dreads and gold teeth and be accepted in the NFL, but I never listened.

I always knew who I was a great football player, a great father, a proud Black man, a lion and this was my mane. Which many of those doubters would later discover once they got to know the real me. Times have changed. Look around the league. Look at some of the young stars. As a matter of fact, look at my Pro Football Hall of Fame bust, rocking the same dreads they said I shouldnt.

James burst onto the scene as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 1999 leading the league with 369 carries and 1,553 yards while scoring 13 touchdowns and adding 62 receptions for 586 yards and four more scores. In 2000, he was even better leading the league with 1,709 rushing yards while matching his 13 touchdowns and catching 63 passes for 594 yards and five scores.

With offenses leaning more and more toward the pass, its a debut that may never be matched. James suffered a major knee injury in 2001, but he still managed to gain 12,246 rushing yards and score 80 touchdowns on the ground alone over 11 seasons. He added 433 receptions for 3,364 yards and 11 scores while also being a punishing blocker and pass protector.

Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy calls James the most complete back he ever worked with, and the running back will forever be connected with Dungy and Hall of Fame teammates Marvin Harrison and Peyton Manning. Colts owner Jim Irsay had the honor of presenting James on Saturday, and the seven seasons the South Florida native spent in Indianapolis remain a special time in his life.

I will always cherish my years with the Colts, James said. I was born and raised in South Florida, so coming to the Midwest was a whole different experience for me. To the city of Indianapolis, thank you for embracing me. Leaving Indy was tough, but you know me, Edge (has) always been about his business.

James signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a free agent in 2006, just before the Colts won a Super Bowl title. Irsay thought so highly of the running backs contributions, he sent James a championship ring anyway.

James finally got to play in the Super Bowl with the Cardinals two years later teaming up with another Hall of Fame quarterback in Kurt Warner and future Hall of Famer in wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald but lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers on a late touchdown pass.

He closed his career by playing in just seven games and rushing for 125 yards with the Seattle Seahawks in 2009, but he left an indelible legacy. James ranks ninth in career rushing attempts (3,028), 10th in yards per touch (5.3), 12th in average rushing yards per game (82.7) and 13th in career rushing yards.

But the numbers clearly mean less to him than the relationships he made along the way. James began his speech Saturday by thanking his mother and all the members of his family. When he got to football his extended family he tried not to leave out a teammate or coach from his time at the University of Miami all the way through the end of his pro career.

And James is still primarily focused on helping those who matter to him most.

Throughout my career, I took pride in representing my culture, my people and keeping it real, and I did it all while doing my job, he said during one of the most powerful sections of his speech. In the real world, we need to think about these things and protect the people were supposed to protect. Now, as a running back, I had to block to protect the quarterback. Just imagine if I dont protect him from the pass rush. In society, we have witnessed a lot of turning the other cheek. Since were in the football world, imagine if I turned the other cheek and dont protect my quarterback.

I played with two Hall of Famers, and I played against my brothers, people I went to school with. What if I intentionally missed my blocking assignment and one of my boys does damage to my QB? What happens to my team if I dont do my job and protect him? Now think about what happens to our culture and to our families when we dont get the protection were supposed to. It tears us down. It kills our confidence. It divides us. Do your job.

Thats what I did. I put my body on the line, and I protected my quarterback. We have a lot of things going on in this country. Its only right that we keep a light shining on these issues. Just do your job. If everybody did their job, the world would be a better place.

For James, its truly that simply.

Do your job and be who youre supposed to be. He grew up without a father and became the man of the house at an early age.

When he got to high school, football became a way to support the family and he had an obligation to become the best version of himself.

His message Saturday was for every person who feels marginalized or unappreciated to follow his lead.

My closing message: Proudly represent the real you, James said. Follow your dreams, aim high and create the life you want to live. And to all those people who have been judged prematurely because of their appearance, the way they speak, where they come from and in the minds of many should be locked up in prison I represent us.

Im forever immortalized, locked up in the Canton Correctional Institution.

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From Immokalee to immortality, Edge does it his way - The Herald Bulletin