“Much Respect”: Football Fans Left in Tears After First Round Star NFL Draftee Pays Hearty Tribute to Little Sister Who Died of Cancer

Brees, Bresee; potato-potato. Bryan Bresee entered the New Orleans Saints family last night during the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. No, he has no connection to the franchise’s former Super Bowl champion QB, Drew Brees. In fact, the spellings are quite different. Bresee fulfilled his lifelong dream as the Saints picked him 29th overall. However, there was something far more emotional and gut-wrenching happening under the surface that made the occasion extra special and touchy for Bryan and his family members last night.

Back in September 2022, something happened in Bryan Bresee’s life that makes last night’s success story so much more important and overwhelming for the spectators. Bresee lost his sister to cancer, a mere seven months ago. And the entire family paid their tributes to their loved one after Bresee got the much-awaited draft call last night.

Bryan Bresee is playing for his sister

Bryan’s sister, Ella Bresee, passed away in September 2022, after losing her battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer. She was only 15 years old. Understandably, her demise had a profound impact on her brother, Bryan, and the rest of the family. Although a menacing defensive tackle on the field, Bryan Bresee played only eight games for the Tigers last season because of this unfortunate tragedy.

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Bresee came back to play for Clemson in late September against Wake Forest. In a conversation with the ‘Washington Post’, the 21-year-old said that he mustered the strength to complete his collegiate career in memory of his sister. And Bresee has aligned his NFL aspirations along the same lines. “I’ll carry that on for the rest of my life,” he said.

There couldn’t have been a better place to pay tribute to his late sister’s memory than his entry into the big leagues on draft night. And that’s exactly what the Bresee family did.

Bresee and his family paid a touching pink tribute on Draft Night to Ella

The former No 1 high school recruit from Damascus and his family sported sweaters with the caption ‘Ella Strong’ engraved on them. This had an overwhelming effect on many fans.

Bryan Bresee also finished his remaining Clemson games with the same caption written on the tape he put on his arms. The tackle also honored Ella before her death during a game against Furman on September 10. However, Ella couldn’t be present, as she was being air-lifted at that very moment from Greenville to Washington D.C. because of a medical emergency.

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2020 All-American and 2021 third-team All-ACC, Bryan Bresee, recorded an astounding 134 career tackles and 35 sacks in Damascus High School. He followed it up with stellar numbers for the Tigers, putting up 15 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 8 appearances in his junior year. Surely, the young athlete will reach bigger milestones as he embarks on his NFL journey. And in doing so, he will make Ella smile from above.