Texans tight end James Casey is one of the more inspirational figures on the roster, and a total anomaly in professional football. Not only does he tweet without "bappin" anybody or talking about crawfish, but he also finished his degree at Rice this summer.
↵Casey has overcome much in his life, as he lost his mother and house to a fire at age 16. His father also passed away last year, and it would be incredibly easy to fold up your dreams and disappear given the circumstances Casey faced. But he didn't.
↵↵↵"It's easy to feel sorry for yourself and stay down," Casey said. "I eventually looked at what I thought her mindset would be. She wouldn't want me to be moping around and complaining. She would have wanted me to make something of myself and make her proud."
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When you lose a loved one that you really cherish, there are a few ways to go about it that aren't terribly productive. Moping, sulking, depression. All understandable reactions. Casey reacted by choosing a path that would both honor his mother and justify his own personal enrichment.
↵There are a lot of high-character players on the Texans. Hell, the joke is that you can't get drafted by them unless you were a team captain at some point. But most of them haven't overcome what Casey has had to, and as someone who is also currently parentless, I empathize and am inspired by his tale.
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