Timothy McNulty | September 25, 2008
The ever-emotional Joe Biden teared up repeatedly today while telling a story about the kindness the Rooney family showed him after the 1972 car crash that killed his wife and daughter.
Reports Fox News:
"My one boy was in traction, and my other little boy had a
fractured skull. And they were happy. They each separately had a football in
their bed."
At this point, Biden looked down and paused for 15 seconds.
"Excuse me," he said, wiping his eyes. The crowd applauded.
"Anyway, and uh, I said guys, where'd you get the ball? And
they said ‘Daddy, Rocky Bleier brought it for me,'" he continued, bringing more
applause from the football savvy audience. Bleier, a Steelers running back,
overcame injuries suffered in Vietnam to become a star for the NFL
champions.
Turning his back to the audience, Biden wiped his eyes with
his fingers. "Mr Rooney Sr, Dan's dad, had without any fanfare, without any
announcement, without anything other than his incredible decency..." he said, now
removing a handkerchief from his pocket. " I really apologize, I'm sorry. I
shouldn't have tried to do this," he said.
"But anyway... it's a Helluva family. It's a helluva
family."
Posted
Sep 25 2008, 12:50 PM
by
Timothy McNulty