SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Mickey Rivera was an inspiration and a symbol of strength and perseverance to his younger brother Ron.
Mickey passed away Tuesday after battling cancer, just days prior to the start of Ron's fifth training camp as head coach of the Carolina Panthers. He was 56.
"He's in a better place now," Rivera said. "It's one of those things – in Mickey's mind, he didn't want to be a distraction.
"It was never really about him. He never complained," Rivera added. "When you talk to somebody who was in a situation like he was and you see him just going forward and doing the best he can – you do draw inspiration from it.