It’s been nearly 10 years, but memories remain vivid for former LSU star and current Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bradie James.
James, then a sophomore at LSU, had just lost his father, who had battled kidney disease for more than a decade. Instead of being with his family, James remained in Atlanta for the 2000 Peach Bowl, preparing with the Tigers to battle Georgia Tech.
Football was his escape. As the Monroe, La., native grieved his father, he fretted over his mother, Etta, who was near death from breast cancer.
James’ performance in the Peach Bowl earned him the Defensive MVP.
His mother later died in February 2001, leaving a young James brutally shaken.
“What I wanted to do was [help] the community so people like myself wouldn’t go through [dealing with cancer],” he said. “It took me a while to figure out what to do.”
James started Foundation 56 in 2007 with the help of LSU gymnastics coach D-D Breaux and members of the Bengal Belles, a non-profit social and fundraising organization. A year later, Breaux asked James if he wanted to host a gymnastics meet to raise money and awareness for the foundation.
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James, 30, and his foundation celebrated the fourth annual Etta James Memorial Meet on Friday when LSU faced off against No. 5 Georgia in the PMAC.
“This event has raised a tremendous amount of money,” Breaux said. “It is about early detection and breast cancer in our community, 10-parish area and in our state.”
The foundation strives to provide women with early testing and to help fund the cancer treatment process.
Breast cancer is second to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women, according to the National Cancer Institute. Louisiana also has one of the nation’s highest mortality rates.
The meet has raised more than $170,000 during the past four years, including $52,180 this year. James matches every dollar raised and has contributed more than $300,000 since 2007. In addition to the meet, James helped stage the inaugural ‘Tailgate for the Fight’ on Feb. 16 in Tiger Stadium.
Former LSU greats Josh Reed, Trev Faulk, Charles Scott and Justin Vincent attended the event which featured silent and live auctions.
“The way he’s given back now, it’s amazing,” said Reed, a wide receiver who was James’ teammate from 1999 to 2001. “I’m really glad to be a part.”
The sadness has mostly evaporated from James’ 6-foot-2-inch, 245-pound frame in the past decade, but he was noticeably emotional at the tailgate.
Etta Mae was first diagnosed with cancer in September 2000, but didn’t tell her son so it wouldn’t distract him. By the time James found out, it was too late.
He was clueless about breast cancer and spent countless hours researching. James dropped weight and had to start seeing a counselor to cope with the loss of his parents.
“It was a shock,” said James, who had a team-leading 118 tackles for the Cowboys last season. “You’re so used to your mom being real strong for you and being the caretaker for you, and now you have to shift gears and help make sure she’s [healthy].”
James said he wasn’t interested in football as a child, playing primarily because his friends did. James became passionate about football after his mother died.
During the next two seasons at LSU, James totaled 267 tackles and six sacks.
“It was tough for me to actually articulate what I was going through,” he said. “My vice was playing football and I was able to express myself through that.”
 
 
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Contact Sean Isabella at [email protected]