Bettis After HOF Induction: "It Feels Incredible, Not Pretty Good, But Incredible"
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Jerome Bettis is officially a Pro Football Hall of Famer.
In an interview with KDKA-TV's Rich Walsh moments after the enshrinement ceremony, Bettis said, "It feels incredible, not pretty good, but incredible. Trust me, I know what pretty good feels like. This doesn't feel anything like that. This feels exceptional."
Bettis has waited a long time for this honor. He became the 21st Steelers player inducted into the Hall of Fame Saturday night.
Bettis was the last of the eight inductees this year to speak, and arguably the best speech of the night. The Bus had everyone on the edge of their seat for almost 35 minutes.
"It was very emotional," Bettis told Walsh. "When I talk about my family, they mean the world to me so it's hard not to tear up. I was able to hang in there and hold it. My daughter started crying and that was dangerous, but I was able to just get through it."
Bettis did get choked up when talking about his father, John, who passed away nine months after Bettis helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XL in Detroit.
"When I was talking about my dad, I had a couple two counts but I got through it and the most important part people felt what I was trying to get across," Bettis said.
Bettis is the sixth-leading rusher in NFL history and had no problem being the feature back again Saturday night.
"The most important part of any speech is the people that are listening to it respond to it and appreciate it," Bettis said. "To deliver the speech I really put my heart and soul in to, it felt good."
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