San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis might look like just any other player on the football field, but the star linebacker has had to overcome some serious personal problems.
Michael Davis, Vernon's younger brother, was charged with first-degree murder last month after allegedly beating 64 year old Gary Dederichs to death in Washington DC. Michael, who has battled mental illness for a long time and is also facing charges of two other attacks, was deemed unfit to stand trial and was sent to a hospital for further evaluation.
Vernon Davis immediately flew back to be with his grandmother once he heard about the arrest, but has now returned to the 49ers.
Vernon Davis spoke about his brother's murder charge for the first time to the Bay Area News Group. "It's pretty frustrating, it's stressful," Davis said.
"But at the end of the day, I'm my own man, regardless of what my little brother does or what he did. It's him. He's got to live with that. I don't have to live with that."
"My job is to be there to support him any way that I can. And I'll do just that. But when it comes to my career, my job, something that I love so much and something that I'm passionate about, I can't let anything get in the way of that."
Davis said he was extremely upset when he heard about his brother's arrest. "It broke my heart," Davis said. "But I had to keep going. I had to pick my head up and just keep on walking. Can't let that affect me."
Davis, who has another brother who plays with the Miami Dolphins, said growing up in a tough neighborhood had made him resolve to keep getting stronger. "To me, growing up without my mom being around, and her being on drugs and things like that, and having my grandmother raise me and my six siblings, that's tough enough."
"I don't think I'll ever see anything tougher than that, in my eyes, because that's something right there that gave me the drive, the strength and the endurance to overcome any obstacle that crossed my path."
