Julius Peppers’ NFL Hall of Fame speech

All right, let's do this. Thank you, thank you for that. Thank you for having me. I want to start by thanking God for aligning the stars and allowing it to happen. I want to thank everyone, all of you for being here to celebrate with these, the other enshrines and our families. I want to thank Jim Porter and the whole Hall of Fame staff for making this a smooth and enjoyable process.

And I want to thank the other 377 members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, all of these guys for making us feel welcome and paving the way. I also want to congratulate my classmates. It's an honor to be a part of this class in 2024. All these guys were phenomenal players, they were phenomenal people and it's been a pleasure getting to know you guys a little bit better for these past couple of months.

I want to thank my family for coming up from North Carolina and a lot of other places and being here for this special night. See, the old proverb that it takes a village to raise a child, that's especially true with us. My mother was one of nine kids and my father was one of 11. So we have a large village and a lot of them are here tonight. So thank you all for being here again.

Speaking of my mom, her name is Bessie Brinkley. Since the day I was born, she was in my corner, not just for sports, but in life. We didn't really grow up with a lot but whatever we needed she made sure we got it. And even though we didn't say the words a lot, I know that you love me. Sometimes all you need a mother's love and support. And I'm very fortunate to have a mom that gave me that and so much more. For her, she instilled a great work ethic and discipline in me and also a willingness to sacrifice. Today, I officially become a member of the whole Football Hall of Fame, but she's always been one of the greatest of all time at being a mom for so long. Thank you for everything and I love her.

My dad is here too. You know, his name is George Kurney. And even though when I was a kid, our relationship was a little bit inconsistent, we got close since, as we got older. So I'm happy that he's here tonight too and I love you too.

Now I was a baby of my family. I want to thank my sister, Yolanda and my big brother, Stephon. You were both positive influences, influences you need. And you said, for example, even though you didn't say a lot of it, I always knew you were proud of me. You know, it's not necessarily what you say to somebody. It's how you make them feel and I always felt love and support. So I want to say thank you guys and I love y'all.

The man who did that video, Carl Carey, he's been my copilot on this journey since I met him in 1998. I was an incoming freshman at UNC. He was my academic adviser and sort of big brother. We met as friends, we became family. It's been a Godsend us for the past 26 years. I want to share a little of a tree analogy that I heard Tyler Perry say, I think best describes our friendship and it goes like this. Some people come and see your lives for a season, and their purpose is temporary; when the wind blows, they fall away. So they're like a leaf, right? Some people come as branches for support and they're a little stronger than the leaves. But if you put too much pressure on them, eventually they break. Then sometimes you meet people that are solid that you can depend on and they hold you up like stones. Those are the roots. Carl has been a root person in my life. Carl, we both know that I wouldn't have accomplished what I've accomplished without you being here. So, thank you for everything. My brother, it's been a hell of a ride and we've still got a lot more to go.

Another root person in my life has been one of my high school coaches, Brian Foster. He's here somewhere too. Foster would give me rides home from practice on the days when my mom couldn't make it, and sometimes he would give me insight on whether to continue to play sports like each other. One day after a bad practice, he told me I would have two choices to, I could be complacent and waste my talent or to work harder and one day be in the Hall of Fame. There will be no in between and it turns out he was right because I'm here. So everything that we talked about came true. So I want to thank you for your guidance, your friendship and your foresight. You guys are our family too. So thank y'all.

Now that I'm retired, people always ask me what I miss most about the game. Well, the thing I miss the most is the camaraderie, the friendship and the relationships that you build at work. Well, I don't have that at work anymore. My fiance and my three kids have become the new locker room. My fiancé, Claudia, she's a great mother. A great part of it, a star in her own right, loving and caring and very thoughtful. When it comes to all the love, she's the manager of our house, and she leads with love and positivity. She's not just my partner but also my best friend. You're the whole world, Claudia, and I'm looking forward to many years and many memories. Thank you. And I love you.

Our oldest daughter, Keana just turned 16. You're beautiful and smart, and it's hard to face that you'll be leaving our house soon. You have a big heart and a beautiful soul, and I love how kind you are. Watching you grow up, that's been one of my greatest rewards. It's an honor to be your dad. And I love you. Our oldest son is Elijah, he's 10. And our baby boy Amare is 8. Amare and Elijah are little athletes. They play a lot of different sports, and they're like best friends. I love how you have each others' backs, and you look out for each other. And while brothers have disagreements every now and then, you guys never take it personal and within five minutes you hug it out and everything's fine again. I'm looking forward to watching you grow, and whatever you do in life, I'm going to be proud of you and always have your back. Y'all already know.

Now to the football and let me just say this, so many people have helped me get to this stage in my family and in my football life and I want to make sure all of you please know that I'm grateful.

First, I want to think coach Mack Brown and coach Donnie Thompson for recruiting me to North Carolina and making me realize that Chapel Hill is where I needed to be. And my thanks go to my head coach, Carl Torbush who we lost last year, and my basketball coach Bill Guthridge, they were great coaches and great men.

And this ain't in my speech, but I'm going to say it anyway while I'm talking about Chapel Hill. And I know this is the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but I ain't going to sit up here and act like my idol, and one of the reasons that I went to Chapel Hill is not in the building. The GOAT, His Airness, Michael Jordan. MJ, I want to thank you for the inspiration and the memories, thank you.

All right now back to the football. I want to thank my NFL coaches: John Fox, Lovie Smith, Mike McCarthy, and Ron Rivera. Thanks to each one of you and all of the men on your staffs. You guys taught valuable lessons that went beyond the game. And that's what I appreciated the most. So, thank you for your time, your energy and your sacrifices.

Thank you to all of my teammates and look, I played 17 years. So there's a lot of you guys out there. And I appreciate every single one of you just know that you guys are the reason that I worked so hard. And a big part of the reason that I'm standing up here today, you motivated me, you inspired me and we help each other.

Now, Rod Marinelli, my defensive coordinator when I was at Chicago, would alway say the star of the team is the team and that's how I tried to play the game. All I ever wanted to do was do my job, help the team win and earn you guys' respect. So to every teammate that I had and all the teammates and all the teams that I ever played on, I want to thank you for the amazing ride and it was a pleasure sharing it through with you guys. So thank you all.

Now for all of the sacks, interceptions and touchdowns you see on Sunday, there's a whole team of people behind the scenes who are just as important to our success, that sometimes may go unnoticed so I want to shout y'all out. But I see you. I want to thank my strength and conditioning coaches. My trainers. The people upstairs in the front office. Thank you Marty Hurney. All of the football people and football ops, upstairs, the equipment managers and the PR department, community relations and all the other support staff. Thanks to all of you.

And now to the fans. To the city and the fans of Chicago. I know you guys didn't draft me, but when I came there, you treated me like I was one of your own and I appreciate that.

Thank you to the people of Wisconsin and Green Bay fans all over. Go, Pack go. That was three of the best years of my life

And Panthers Nation. You can travel the world but there's no place like home. So thank you for having my back since the day I was drafted and always showing me love. So to all of the fans, thank you for your passion, your loyalty, your enthusiasm and your own way for showing support. You guys are the reason that we do what we do and this game is nothing without you. So thank you to all the fans.

I want to thank Dave and Nicole Tepper for your support and your friendship. You know, nobody had it all figured out from the start, but I believe in you guys and just know our time is coming. So in the words of the great Sam Mills, just Keep Pounding.

And last but not least I want to thank the Carolina Panthers founder, the late Jerry Richardson. If not for him and his vision, the Panthers don't exist. He brought an NFL team to my home state and gave me a platform to chase my dreams, so for that, I want to say thank you to the Big Cat.

Now I'm going to close with what being a Hall of Famer means to me. It's not about how many touchdowns you score or how many Super Bowl rings you have, even though those things are nice. It really comes down to who you are at your core and what's in your heart.

Are you resilient? Do you stand tall in the face of adversity when things get tough or do you quit? Do you acknowledge other people's contributions to your success or do you make it all about you? Being a Hall of Famer is one of my crowning achievements but it, but it extends far beyond. It extends to my family and it extends to my daily life.

Everyone can't play in an NFL game and everyone can't have a bust in Canton, but everyone can be a Hall of Famer in your own life.

You could be a Hall of Fame dad, a Hall of Fame student, teacher, spouse, coworker, friend, whatever it is, whatever it is that you do, do it with respect, integrity, passion, resilience, dedication and gratitude. That alone will make you a Hall of Fame person and you too can have a legacy that lives on forever too.

Thank you and God bless.