Joseph Addai: Quiet Hero, On and Off the Field

You don't have to be a sports fan to know by now about the biggest comeback in NFL playoff history: The Indianapolis Colts, down by 18 points, roared back to defeat the New England Patriots, 38-34, and earned themselves a trip to the SuperBowl.

Leading up to the game, the media chose to concentrate on whether or not future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning would finally exorcise the demons of the past to help his team advance to the championship game. But lost in all the shuffle was a story of greater interest to us. In all the media frenzy, most people forgot about a rookie running back named of Joseph Addai.


We could spend our post singing the praises of his accomplishments on the field: his years as a star at Louisiana State University, or the fact that he was the second pick on the first round of the NFL draft, or the fact that he led all rookie running backs in yardage this year, or even the fact that he is the only player in the history of the NFL to run for more than 1,000 yards as a back-up running back.


Of more interest to us is what drives Addai to excel on the field. Our answer was presented to us a couple of weeks ago as a segment on HBO's Inside the NFL, featuring the Colts star's relationship to his best friend, LaJuan Moore. Both young men were stars at Sharpstown High School, when Moore was injured in what seemed to be a routine play. It was anything but, since that tackle resulted in severe spinal cord damage, leaving Moore temporarily paralyzed from the neck down. Initially thinking that his friend would now pursue his dreams of stardom alone, Moore was surprised by the fact that his friendship to Addai became even stronger.

But it didn't stop there. Addai requested a dorm room with handicap access during his years at LSU, so his friend would be comfortable when visiting Baton Rouge. He got Moore tickets to the Colts game against the local team, the Houston Texans, and--while the game took place--even made arrangements to have a large plasma TV installed at Moore's home. But, even bigger than all this, he assists Moore and his mother financially, and calls his friend after every game.


we rejoice in having seen the quiet young man from Houston break through the Patriot defensive line to score the touchdown that led to the Colts victory.


In our book, it couldn't have happened to--or be done by--a nicer guy...