“Coach Drake always called us his sons. He didn’t have any boys. He always called us his sons. We took that at the beginning of camp. He just called us his sons.”
Those words, courtesy of the team’s official website, were spoken by Steelers receiver Ryan Switzer, as he addressed the media on Thursday in the days after the tragic and sudden death of receivers coach Darryl Drake, who passed away Sunday morning at the age of 62.
Switzer, in his second season in Pittsburgh, had a hard time holding back tears as he spoke to reporters, which was also the case on Tuesday, following a team prayer right before the start of the first training camp session since Drake’s death.