ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- In July, just before Steve Longa left New Jersey for Detroit Lions training camp, his father pulled him aside. And in that moment, Etienne Longa told his son how proud he was of him. Told him how he had accomplished so much in his life, how much he still had to go.
Whenever Etienne talked, Steve listened. The father's words mattered to the son. Steve went to Etienne whenever he had a real problem seeking a real solution and loved his dad "more than anybody." Steve said his father was a man who gave of himself, a "righteous" man who opened up his heart when he met anyone he encountered -- whether they were family or a person seeking help.