With four Hall of Fame teammates in James Lofton, Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith and Thurman Thomas and a Hall of Fame coach presenting him in Marv Levy, Saturday night’s enshrinement ceremony is going to have everything Andre Reed could ask for. But Reed’s teammates were more than teammates. They were more than friends and that relationship continues today.
“It’s like your own family being there,” said Reed. “You guys know over the years that’s what we preached. You talk to anybody on those teams and the camaraderie and how close we were and that had a lot to do with winning games, but we really cared about each other off the field. We cared about each other’s families and our kids and our kids grew up together.
“Even today it’s kind of like the same. That’s one thing that really sticks out with me with all those guys. You have your friends and you have people you know, but you went to war with those guys every single Sunday. You knew them as people, not just as football players and you can’t really fathom what that means.
“With Jim there especially with what he’s been going through with his life and with his son and that happening years ago and all the things that’s happening with him trying to beat this cancer and all the stuff he’s going through, it’s going to be real special to see him there in Canton on Saturday.”
