Curtis Martin, who played running back for the New York Jets from 1998 to 2005, was officially inducted into the Hall of Fame on Saturday night. He started his career with ten straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons, one of two players to ever do so (the other was Barry Sanders). Former head coach Bill Parcells introduced Martin, who began his speech after hearing Jets chants from members of the crowd.
Martin was brutally honest in his speech, admitting that he was never a big football fan but used the game to make a better life for himself and his mother.
"I wasn't the type of guy who watched football," Martin said. "I could probably count on one hand the number of games I watched in my lifetime."
[Related: Bill Parcells snub a travesty]
Martin told of the hardships he faced in his early years before recapping his transition to college and eventually the NFL. He also talked about the impact head coach Bill Parcells had on his career and the lessons Parcells instilled in him.
"You're always replaceable," Martin said. "Every year, there was someone on that team that had more ability...but I just outworked everyone."
After the speech, NFL Network host Rich Eisen summed things up in a simple sentence.
"[It was] a brutally honest, heartfelt, and complex speech from Curtis Martin."
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