To Harbaugh, it is always about faith and family.
“It’s bigger than wins and losses; this is about being men, about growing,” Harbaugh said. “That’s something we’ve learned in a very real way by watching O.J. in this because he’s the strongest man in the building. It’s not even close. And you know that once you get to know him, he’s pure strength.
“Like the Bible says, ‘Our strength is made perfect in our greatest weakness,’ And here is O. J., visibly in a weakened physical state, yet in an incredibly strong spiritual and intellectual place, and he shows that every day. He’s just a shining light in the building, and we all definitely are energized by that.”
Rice called him “a guardian angel.”
With sports, sometimes you’ll see P.R. stories of motivation on a pre-game special or NFL Films piece. There’s something dramatic or motivational in every NFL locker room. For the Ravens, the situation with O.J. Brigance has been a true source of motivation for years. It’s in your face, and it’s heartbreaking, uplifting, emotional, and has become part of the fabric of the team.
Brigance is courage, personified. And in an organization full of men who share his religious beliefs and faith in God, he truly believes “a man with an outstanding attitude makes the most of it while he gets the worst of it.”
During the Ravens’ run to the Super Bowl in January 2013, Brigance’s story and the Brigance Brigade got universal coverage after Ray Lewis’ “Last Dance” day in a victory over the Colts when he honored a guy everyone on the team simply calls, “Juice.”
“One of the great men I’ve ever met in my life: O.J. Brigance,” Lewis said to his teammates in the locker room as he held the game ball. “Me and this man, we hosted something that this team is chasing again. We once held the Lombardi Trophy for this city. We held it. This man has taught me — don’t ever complain in life! Don’t ever waste time in life, either. You want to go get something done? Go get it done. He’s the role model. He’s the example of what it means to be facing crucial circumstances and, because of your mind set you can live through anything and do whatever you want to do.”
Two weeks later, Brigance participated in the coin flip before the AFC Championship Game in New England and spoke to the victorious team in the locker room just before they hoisted the Lamar Hunt Trophy in the locker room.
“Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens,” Brigance said through his Dynavox. “Your resiliency has outlasted your adversity. You are the AFC champions. You are my Mighty Men. With God, all things are possible.”
In Cincinnati, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis watched the AFC Championship Game postgame speech by Ray Lewis. “It was incredible. That sent chills down your spine and tears to your eyes. This guy, what he was as a player, when he came to the NFL and how hard he worked and seeing Ray and the whole organization honor him, wow. I can remember telling [linebackers coach] Jack Del Rio in 2000, ‘What a great set of linebackers you have, how lucky you are to have those guys, the quality of those people as men.’ ”
Brigance’s father Marcus told a Houston television station during Super Bowl week: “The Ravens organization and the players are willing him to live.”
“Super Bowl XLVII means so much to me, not because of the game,” Brigance said in New Orleans. “It’s the journey it took to get there. The journey is where personal growth and maturation comes. I know the stories of the men on this team. They have all overcome challenges and adversities to be on this national stage. It makes me extremely proud for them.”
