Bryan Braman, who won the Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 season, has died at the age of 38. The linebacker, who also played for the Houston Texans, passed away on Thursday, according to his agent Sean Stellato.
Braman is survived by his two daughters, Blakely, aged 11, and Marlowe, aged eight. He had described his seven NFL seasons, Super Bowl victory and his daughters as “the three greatest accomplishments in my life”. A GoFundMe page set up to help with medical expenses raised $88,000, with former teammate JJ Watt contributing $10,000. Braman was diagnosed with cancer in February.
Stellato paid tribute to Braman's character, saying: “Bryan, people saw this enormous human being, but his heart was big as his body. His spirit was so motivating.” He added: “It’s hard. I feel like I lost my firstborn.”
Braman joined the Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and made his name on special teams through fearless play. During the Eagles’ Super Bowl run, he made a costly mistake in the divisional round against the Falcons by touching a live punt, but redeemed himself on the next punt by tipping the ball and forcing a shank. He later said: “I was able to keep my head in the game and turn it around.”
He recorded one tackle in Super Bowl LII as the Eagles beat the New England Patriots 41-33. His final NFL season was 2017, meaning the Super Bowl was his last professional game.
