College football star Patrick McSweeney is playing for a greater cause as he aims to make the New York Jets roster.
McSweeney’s late father, Timothy, was a huge Jets fan who died in the 9/11 attacks while serving as a firefighter in New York.
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Now Patrick, who was just nine months old when his father passed away, plans to honor him through his football career.
The 6-foot-1 tight end most recently played at The Citadel military college in South Carolina after five seasons at Coastal Carolina.
Now he’s joined the Jets’ rookie group with the goal of making his father proud — and his NFL dreams come true.
“[My mom] tells us that he would be proud of us and is proud of us”, McSweeney told the Jets’ official website.
“He’s looking out for us now. The fact that I’m here now, he’s probably jumping for joy.
“He’s excited, but I have more work to do. And I have to keep going.”
Timothy joined the FDNY in 1987 and won six awards for heroism before dying at age 37.
He was a member of Ladder 3 in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village, where he spent his entire career in the Fire Department.
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Timothy is believed to have helped burn victims in Tower 1 during the 9/11 attacks.
“Unfortunately, I have no memory of physically being with my father, but I feel like I only know him through stories,” McSweeney added.
“Lots of stories about who he was and his character, even old photos and videos.
“Just growing up and being myself, a lot of people will say that I do certain things like him or act like him or even look like him or sound like him.
“I know he is always with me and my family, so I feel like I understand who he is very well.
“Even though I don’t really have any memories from before he passed away, I feel like I knew him and I feel like I grew up with him.”
Patrick hopes to follow the selfless example set by his father.
“Everyone gravitated towards him,” he adds.
“He was always putting other people first. He was very selfless and something I try to embody from him, it may sound cliché, but when he walked into that building, he was trying to save innocent people.
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“He didn’t really care what those people looked like, what their race or religion was.
“He was just trying to save them. That’s what I always remember.
“It’s important to treat everyone fairly, treat them with respect and that’s how I’ve always tried to be.”
Jets coach Robert Saleh almost lost his brother David on September 11th.
David worked as a financial consultant in the South Tower, which was attacked and managed to escape with his life.
“In my mind, he’s gone,” Saleh told the New York Post.
“It was only around 4 or 5 am that we heard from him.
“As the hours passed, it felt like an eternity. And you’re praying for the best, but you’re thinking the worst.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
