"A man has a body, a mind and a spirit. There are times in a man's life when his body will tell him it can't continue on. There are times in a man's life when his mind will tell him that the task set before him is too hard to accomplish. Those two don't matter. It's a man's will and his spirit, and in those moments and in those times that will tell him 'You can do it,' and it will make the mind and body follow along." - former Jets' player, Dennis Byrd
Dennis Byrd was in the NFL in 1992 playing for the Jets when a collision on the field with a teammate resulted in a spinal cord injury. Through his own determination and intensive physical therapy Byrd battled back and eventually walked again. However, he never played football again.
That didn't stop him from sharing his inspiring story with his former team as they faced the Patriots in this year's playoffs. He even gave them the #90 jersey that was cut from his body the day of his injury for inspiration. The team was so moved by Byrd's message they carried his jersey out for the game's coin toss.
Although the Jets won that game, they were defeated by the Steelers the following week. But, Byrd still appeared proud of their efforts and humbled by their gesture.
"For four years, to run up and down that field and do the thing that I absolutely adored doing, that is so special to me," Byrd said. "For that number to be seen as an inspirational number, I gotta tell you something: I still am that kid, 26-years-old, running up and down the field living his dream."
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