Eagles legend Brian Dawkins reflects on the Rose Parade, Brandon Graham's career
Eagles legend Brian Dawkins reflects on the Rose Parade, Brandon Graham's career
This week, Touchdown Wire's Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Pro Football Hall of Famer and Philadelphia Eagles legend Brian Dawkins.
In his interview with Easton Jr., Dawkins recapped his representation of Boehringer & Lilly's "It Takes 2" health initiative at the Rose Parade earlier this year, spreading awareness about the importance of getting tested for kidney disease, and shared his thoughts on the retirement announcement of long-time Eagles standout Brandon Graham.
"It's tremendous. It was a lot bigger than I thought, like, you think it's one way because you see it on TV. Still, you're a part of it, and to be on one of the floats, and so that part of it was much more expansive than I thought." said Dawkins. "I had an image of what I thought it would be, but when I saw it, I was like, you guys gotta be kidding me, like, there are the people they drive down, travel down, just for this experience. Get up early in the morning to come out and watch these floats go by. It's not something that I ever thought I would be a part of. I thought it was something I would always watch from a distance, but to be a part of it was such a blessing. So it's great. I thank Boehringer & Lilly for letting me be a part of it."
Dawkins, whose parents have conditions that put them at greater risk, rode the "It's In Your Hands: It Takes 2" CORE Kidney float alongside Thelma, a patient advocate living with kidney disease, and Dr. Anjay Rastogi, M.D., PhD, Director of the CORE Kidney Program and Professor and Clinical Chief of Nephrology at the UCLA Health's David Geffen School of Medicine.
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham announced his retirement after 15 seasons with the franchise, including two Super Bowl victories. Dawkins opened up about his career and legacy in Philadelphia, including his famous strip-sack of Tom Brady to win Super Bowl LII.
"I'm excited for him. The way his career started, coming out of Michigan, he was considered a bust by many individuals at the time. If you look at where he was in the first two years, you could see why they would say that," said Dawkins. "But here's the thing, he changed his mindset. He changed how he looked at life, approached the game of football, and changed into a completely different person, and so that's the Brandon Graham that we see now."
"The smiling assassin is what I call him. He is always chirping and smiling. But he would handle his business if you got too close to him. It will forever be in the lore of Philadelphia that he will be forever known for the sack because that was it," said Dawkins, "That was the sack in the Super Bowl to win it all and strip Tom Brady. He will be forever known for that, and so there are growing young people who'll grow up wanting to have that type of career, to win two Super Bowls and then win one out the door, like, that's how we all would have loved to have done it, and he did it."
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