SAN JOSE – Bruce DeHaven continued to insist he should not be a story during Super Bowl week. After all, he said the players are the ones who make the game.
But, in so many ways, this is about DeHaven – everything he has experienced and everything he has yet to endure.
As the seconds ticked off in the Carolina Panthers’ victory over the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship game two weeks ago, a TV camera captured DeHaven on the sideline. Amid the celebration around him, he looked as if he were flooded by a torrent of emotions and thoughts.