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C.J. Beathard must reconcile one of the greatest moments of his life with the most tragic.
The 26-year-old 49ers backup quarterback is just one month removed from his 22-year-old brother, Clayton, getting stabbed to death outside a Nashville bar. The tragedy was reportedly initiated by an “unwanted” advance made “by a man toward a woman in the bar.”
As 49ers players celebrated punching their ticket to the organization’s first Super Bowl appearance in seven years with a 37-20 win over the Packers, Beathard stood in front of his locker and mustered the strength to field questions from reporters about the mixture of emotions that surged through his veins.
QB C.J. Beathard, QB Jimmy Garoppolo and QB Nick Mullens 🏈 #NFCChampionship pic.twitter.com/3q4OJPU8JA
— XPNAiiMODEDX26 🇵🇭 (@XPNAiiMODEDX26) January 20, 2020
Via New York Post:
“It’s been the toughest month of my life, losing my brother and whatnot,” Beathard said. “It’s a pain that you would never want anybody to feel. It’s something that you carry with you every day, every second of every day.
“You know, people say it’ll get better. Right now, stuff like this definitely brings me some joy and happiness, but it’s one of those things I just know that he would [have] loved to experience, you know.
“I’m sure he’s looking down right now and happy and what-not, but I just wish he was here to experience it with me and the team ’cause he would have been here, so …”
Beathard spoke about the unconditional support his teammates and the organization has given him in the wake of the tragedy.
“It’s been unreal, man,” Beathard said. “I thought we were a close family before, this team and Kyle and John, but after this happened, it really showed me how much everybody just loves each other and are there for each other, and they’ve been there for me throughout all this. That’s another thing that’s really helped me get through it.”
The third-year quarterback also talked about what a Super Bowl victory would mean to him in light of losing Clayton.
“Obviously, it’s not gonna patch up any pain from my brother being away, but anytime you’re able to see people you love experience some joy and some happiness, that brings you some joy as well,” Beathard said. “I love everybody on this team. I want this just as much as everybody else. My dad has been around Super Bowls his whole life, my grandpa has been to seven of ’em, so he knows what’s it like and he knows it’s not easy to get there. It’s not an easy thing to accomplish.
“And that’s any player’s dream is to win a Super Bowl, and we’ve put ourselves in position to win one. It’s only my third year in the league and just being able to be in this position where I am now brings me a lot of happiness. It’s great.”
With no dog in the fight, C.J. Beathard and his family feeling the joy of a Super Bowl victory is enough for me to hop on the Niners bandwagon.
[h/t New York Post]