He was one of us.
He has always been one of us.
He just had to come to Philadelphia to realize it.
He’s a Philadelphia Eagles legend. He’s earned the right to be called that. He’s responsible for one of the most iconic plays in Philadelphia sports history—and incredibly, does so much more off the field. You always know he’s in the room by his contagious, bellowing laugh, and his infectious personality.
Everybody loves Brandon Graham.
And after anyone meets him, they come away feeling the affection is reciprocated.
That is why it was so hard to say goodbye this week when Graham announced his retirement after 15 seasons with the Eagles.
Graham’s fund, Team Graham, garners and distributes resources to causes in his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. That positivity radiates from a Graham’s foundation created by his mother, Tasha, a cancer survivor, who worked until her feet were numb, and her eyes were halfmast doing overnights at the Chrysler plant in Detroit. She is the one who taught her son how to push through everything, even the early rejection from a sports-crazed city that could have broken him and didn’t.
He could have curled up and whined about how tough this city could be on its pro athletes. He didn’t. Instead, Graham turned the negativity into a positive, becoming an all-time Eagle great playing 15 seasons and in 206 games, more than any other player in franchise history.
“I didn’t know how many times I would be tested,” Graham said during his retirement speech. “I didn’t know how much I would grow, and I surely didn’t know how deeply I would fall in love with these fans and the team in this city. Today, as I sit here, I just want to thank God cause I know he’s the main reason, you know that was the biggest thing. I love my growth, my relationship with him, and just so much that I’ve shared with my teammates, and reflecting on a career that has meant everything to me.”
What many didn’t see, though heard about, was Graham’s incredible work off the field.
Team Graham provides mentors for children along with clothes and food to families in need. Graham is also a constant participant in the Eagles Autism Foundation and freely volunteers his time to the March of Dimes, Make a Wish, Ronald McDonald House, American Heart Association and Liberty USO.
Prior to Super Bowl LVII, Graham’s altruistic, fun-loving nature was featured on the Fox Sports pregame show. The story centered on Graham’s unique relationship with Joe Eitl, who has Down syndrome. Joe was born with a congenital heart defect. When he was seven, he underwent a procedure that caused his heart to pump blood at an appreciably high level of pressure. The result eventually damaged his organs. Joe regressed. In 2019, he was battling end-stage heart and liver failure. Joe would have to put on a transplant list. With his health deteriorating, doctors suggested hospice care as their next step. They were helpless. They could not do anything.
Graham had heard about Joe’s plight. He would send Joe motivational talks.
“We were having a tough time,” said Peg Eitl, Joe’s mother. “He had some bad days, where Joe just didn’t have the motivation to even get out of bed. All we had to do was put Joe on with Brandon. It’s why I say Brandon Graham saved my son’s life.”
In 2022 and 2024, Graham was the Eagles’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year nominee.
“I’m incredibly honored to be named the Eagles’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year,” he said. “My journey in Philadelphia over the past 15 years has been a humbling one. This city has embraced me and supported me throughout my career.
“It’s been a blessing to not only play in front of the best fans in the NFL, but to have the chance to give back to a community that has now become my home. I’ve cherished every moment of this journey, and I’m grateful to be recognized alongside an inspiring group of men who are making a difference in their communities.”
Currently Philadelphia’s longest-tenured professional athlete, Graham has had a genuine touch on the Philadelphia community since the Eagles drafted him with the 13th overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. At the ripe young age of 34, coming off an Achilles injury that allowed him to only play in two games in 2021, Graham experienced a career year as a driving force to the Eagles winning the NFC and reaching Super Bowl LVII. He had a career-high 11 sacks playing all 17 regular-season games.
“I just do stuff because I know all the little things make a difference,” Graham said. “I’m just me. This kind of just stumbled across my desk really. Nobody is defined by the situation they’re in. It’s all about what’s in your head and how you handle it. I am who I am because it’s the way I was raised. I am who I am because of my mother. I remember my first few years here. I’d stay in the house because I didn’t want to hear Philly fans tell me how much of a bust I was supposed to be (laughs).
“But I wouldn’t change anything. Adversity makes you stronger. It made me stronger.”
He means more to the Eagles than just his prowess on the field.
“Throughout his career, Brandon has exemplified everything it means to be a Philadelphia Eagle,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said in a statement on Graham’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nomination. “His relentless passion and commitment to making a difference, not only on the football field, but in the community is inspiring. A fierce competitor on the field, Brandon pours his heart and soul into the game for his team, city and fans.
“He’s beloved not just for the way he’s persevered through adversity, but because of the way he embraces everyone he meets with such kindness and love. His infectious personality radiates throughout our entire building, and it’s certainly touched the lives of many across the world. We are incredibly lucky to have had him as an Eagle for the past 15 years and are thrilled that he is our Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.”
To Eagles fans, Graham will always be a Super Bowl LII hero for his strip-sack on Tom Brady. He didn’t make his first Pro Bowl until 2020, and yet against long odds, at 34, coming off the torn Achilles injury, he still managed to get 11 sacks in 2022.
“I dreamed about a season like that,” Graham said. “I remember when I got carted off the field (during the Achilles injury) looking up at the sky. I knew there light at the end of that tunnel. I tried to flip it. I knew my 2021 season was over, and I started looking at the positives, instead of the negatives. That’s the way I am. I wanted that ring in the end. It’s disappointing that it didn’t. I felt great the whole year. Every time I got a chance, I took full advantage of my reps.
“It was hard, at first, coming off the bench. But I had to block out the easy routes, the tough times. I came in and finished guys off, because they were tired. I finished them. I had my mindset. I wanted to be the best Brandon Graham I could be. We had something special. We’ll have something special again.”
There was no one as authentic and real as Brandon Graham.
