Vincent Frank
Former Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos pass rusher DeMarcus Ware will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.
One of the greatest at his position in NFL history, Ware was on hand ahead of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets in Canton, Ohio, on Thursday night to unofficially kick off the 2023 NFL season.
Surprisingly, Ware was also called on to sing the national anthem ahead of the game. No one will mistake Ware for a tenor, but the all-time great did an absolutely tremendous job with his performance given the circumstances.
For Ware, there was an emotional reason why he opted to sing the national anthem. He used to sing it on the sideline with former teammate Demaryius Thomas, who died at the young age of 33 back in 2021.
“You can never be ready for that. There are ways you can prepare for it and have ample amount of vocal lessons. But when you get up there and when the crowd goes silent, it’s your turn to get up there and sing to the whole United States of America on what it stands for. And that is huge.”
DeMarcus Ware to the Dallas Morning News earlier this week
Ware and Thomas played with the Broncos from 2014-16 and enjoyed a great relationship with one another. He paid homage to his friend Thursday evening.
