Author: Harry Carson

Most who visit this blog or my site know of the recent passing of my teammate Brad VanPelt of a heart attack. If you didn’t know him personally you could know him from his play on the football field with the NY Giants or from our relationship as a group of linebackers that included Brian Kelly and Lawrence Taylor called the “Crunch Bunch” taking part in humanitarian efforts trying to make a difference in the lives of others. Brad and I were “tight” or close, so close that he was very much like a brother to me. So, because of that closeness and of that relationship I can say things about Brad that others might not be able to say.

When I attended Brad’s funeral service I like everyone else was saddened by his passing but there was also a side of me that was so “pissed off” with him! I looked at him and said under my breath “Brad, if you weren’t dead I would knock the sh-t out of you!” I know he would have said “I know Harry, I know, I should have listened to you!” You see, I feel very strongly that Brad’s death could have been prevented. Within the last year and a half I had been promoting the Living Heart Foundation’s Cardiovascular Screening Programs for NFL Retired Players. These comprehensive screenings were being offered free of charge to former players around the country to see if there were any potential cardiovascular problems that could be treated. Last September I first suggested to Brad that he should take part in the screenings that would be held at New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital during Giants Alumni weekend. Brad declined the invitation. In our conversation that started with good intentions Brad revealed to me that he had not seen a doctor since he left football some 22 years earlier. He shared with me that his father died of a heart attack at the age of 49 and bottom line he was afraid of what any examination would find. I was frustrated that with all of the factors and reasons why he didn’t want to go were the same reasons why he should have been proactive in looking out for his own health. Brad continued to be quite adamant in not wanting to know of anything that might be found. At the conclusion of our conversation I was even more frustrated at the stubbornness of a man I was close to but I also felt that the situation was out of my hands.

As a former football player I have memories of preparing for the next upcoming game. We would watch film of our next opponent to see what we had to prepare for. We watched what that next opponent did right to win their last game but we also watched what the team they played against did wrong to lose. To give ourselves the best chance to win we had to understand the mistakes that other team made. We all (especially former athletes) have to understand the mistakes of Brad VanPelt. Brad went from knowing what his body was capable of doing when he played years ago to not wanting to know what was going on with his own body so many years later. At his funeral service I told his mother that her son was a stubborn man! And while that might work on the football field it can act as a detriment off the field.

I encourage all (especially those of us over the age of 40) to do a better job of taking care of ourselves physically.
• Take/make time to listen to our bodies.
• Get a yearly physical (for men make a prostate exam a part of that yearly regiment).
• Get off our asses and get physical by working out. Any type of exercise is better than no exercise at all. (An $8.00 jump rope works wonders.)
• Make an effort to shed a few pounds, improve our endurance and strengthen our hearts and cardiovascular systems.

In the end, I’ve been sad because I’ve lost my friend but I have not shed a tear for him because he did live his life on his own terms. I’m sadder for the many family members and friends who now feel a void with his passing, people who truly loved, cared about and greatly respected him. Many of you have left messages in my guestbook or have sent me emails and letters expressing fond memories of Brad. Let’s not allow his death be in vain but instead use his life and yes, his stubbornness to awaken the call within ourselves to be proactive in living our own lives.

I am saddened with a tremendous sense of loss with the passing of my old teammate Brad VanPelt. Brad was a great player when we played together for the New York Giants. I was honored to join him and Brian Kelly as the linebackers in mid 1976. We played well together as a group and with their support I was able to learn and somewhat master the position I was asked to play by the Giants coaches. We knew we were a good trio playing for the Giants defense in the late 1970s but we rose to a much higher level with addition of Lawrence Taylor. We became known as the “Crunch Bunch” a quartet of the best linebackers in the National Football League of the early 80s. With his tall frame, boyishly good looks, blond hair and wearing his #10 jersey Brad played with great pride representing the New York Football Giants. Most people will live with those memories when they hear the name Brad VanPelt.

I will always live with the relationships I formed with all of my teammates. To me, those are the things I carry with me long after the wins and losses. Brad, Brian and Lawrence are like my brothers that I love as if they are really my next of kin. The laughs we shared and the personal issues we’ve supported one another through have bound us together for life. After our playing days we joined one another yearly to play golf together in Hawaii for the NFL Charities Tournaments. We spoke frequently either on the phone or when we were all in the New York area or anytime we were together taking part in events. But two of the more special times that I will always embrace were going the Mexico to help build homes with former President Jimmy Carter for Habitat for Humanity and visiting the wounded soldier returning from Iraq at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. It was during those times that we very seldom talked about football. Actually it wasn’t about talking about anything it was more about just being in the presence of one another that was soothing to our collective souls. As former football players we took great joy in doing good works and making people smile.

Brad was a wonderful and loyal friend who died much too soon. With his wisdom, his passion for helping others, his zest for living and broad smile there was much he should have been able to contribute to make a difference in the lives of many people, especially young athletes.

I love my teammates! And right now I’m missing one of my favorites, Brad VanPelt.

This is an important message to all retired NFL Players and their families in the Tampa area during SuperBowl. I am urging all of you to take advantage of The Living Health Foundation’s offer of free cardiovascular health screenings for former players. I took part in the screenings last year at the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, AZ and found it to be a valuable asset in determing what my cardiovascular risks were. I was so impressed with the screening process that I helped to organize a screening in New York for many of my former NY Giants teammates and other former players living in the New York/New Jersey area at Mount Sinai Hospital during Giants Alumni weekend in September.

The Tampa screenings will take place at the Tampa Health Center on the Bay, hosted by Tampa General Hospital and the University of South Florida Health Center. Screenings will take place on Friday, January 30th and Saturday, January 31st. To take advantage of these screenings you must pre-register by contacting the LHF Office at 732-842-5584 or registering online at www.livingheartfoundation.org.

This intense health opportunity will be extremely valuable to you because it will help you understand your risk for developing cardiovascular and other general health problems. You will learn how you can limit the chances of serious related medical complications and premature death in the future. Remember, what you don’t know about your health can hurt you and your families. As a former NFL player, a heart doctor specialist and the founder of the LHF, Dr. Archie Roberts will be present personally to meet and talk with you at the screening.

I strongly encourage you to sign up for this program. Working together and with your commitment, we stand to decrease your likelihood of experiencing adverse CV events, like heart attack or stroke, by as much as 50%! We need to make the commitment to a healthy lifestyle!

For being the outstanding coach you became after a good career as a player with the Pittsburgh Steelers and for a very short time (several weeks) with the New York Football Giants. While it was brief I enjoyed having you as a teammate. Thanks for your tenure as an assistant coach and then on to being a Head Coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then the Indianapolis Colts. Thanks for becoming the first African-American National Football League Coach to win a SuperBowl. Thanks for your coaching tree of Herman Edwards, Lovie Smith, Mike Tomlin, Rod Marinelli and now Jim Caldwell. Thanks for your support of the Fritz Pollard Alliance in it’s quest to create a greater sense of diversity in the hiring of Minority Coaches, Scouts and Personnel in the NFL. Thanks for truly being a tremendous role model for those players you’ve coached and those coaches you coached with on your journey. Thanks for doing the job the “Tony Dungy Way”! You will definitely be missed! Thanks for all that you’ve done as a football man.

I want to thank you in advance of what you are about to do as a Man! To leave the game of football at the height of your career and devote your life to making a difference in the lives of others especially young men is more important than winning any Lombardi Trophy. I’ve always respected you but that respect is clearly off the charts!

Enjoy your new life and free time with your family.

Yes We Can!!!!!