Brando19
10-03-2007, 09:34 PM
Just as Ahman Green's injured left knee was getting better, Houston's running back was dealt another far more personal setback with news of his stepfather's death.
Edward Scott died of complications from liver cancer Tuesday night in a Houston hospital. The 70-year-old Scott helped raise Green after marrying his mother when he was 6.
"It's tough to handle," Green said. "He was my stepdad, so he raised somebody else's seed. I'm proud of the fact that he took that responsibility and did an awesome job with taking care of me and taking care of my mom growing up."
Green said Scott had prepared him and his family, but it was difficult to watch his stepfather's illness progress while he battled the disease the last five years.
"I feel like a stress is lifted off my back because I didn't want to see him suffer no more," Green said. "To see somebody you love like that go through pain every day, you almost think, 'let's get this over with' because it's almost -- it's torture to see him go through that."
Green, who missed Sunday's game with a bruised knee, returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time in more than a week. Coach Gary Kubiak said he was "encouraged" by Green's return, but that it would be premature to say that he expects him to play this week. He was limited in practice.
"I'm getting better every day," Green said. "We're definitely far away from where we were last week and the way it was feeling and that's a good, positive thing."
Green said he didn't take time away from the team to mourn Scott's death because his stepfather taught him to fight through adversity and "not to worry about him."
"He helped build that confidence and that pride, that willingness to give it all for my team regardless of how I feel," Green said. "I'm never going to take him off my mind, but [football will] ease the pain a little bit."
He did acknowledge that dealing with Scott's illness and his injury simultaneously has been difficult.
"I've just been juggling that, watching the team hurt without me and dealing with my family issues off the field," he said. "It's all been tough. With our jobs we've got to focus and work through all of that, but it's tough to do all of that at once."
Edward Scott died of complications from liver cancer Tuesday night in a Houston hospital. The 70-year-old Scott helped raise Green after marrying his mother when he was 6.
"It's tough to handle," Green said. "He was my stepdad, so he raised somebody else's seed. I'm proud of the fact that he took that responsibility and did an awesome job with taking care of me and taking care of my mom growing up."
Green said Scott had prepared him and his family, but it was difficult to watch his stepfather's illness progress while he battled the disease the last five years.
"I feel like a stress is lifted off my back because I didn't want to see him suffer no more," Green said. "To see somebody you love like that go through pain every day, you almost think, 'let's get this over with' because it's almost -- it's torture to see him go through that."
Green, who missed Sunday's game with a bruised knee, returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time in more than a week. Coach Gary Kubiak said he was "encouraged" by Green's return, but that it would be premature to say that he expects him to play this week. He was limited in practice.
"I'm getting better every day," Green said. "We're definitely far away from where we were last week and the way it was feeling and that's a good, positive thing."
Green said he didn't take time away from the team to mourn Scott's death because his stepfather taught him to fight through adversity and "not to worry about him."
"He helped build that confidence and that pride, that willingness to give it all for my team regardless of how I feel," Green said. "I'm never going to take him off my mind, but [football will] ease the pain a little bit."
He did acknowledge that dealing with Scott's illness and his injury simultaneously has been difficult.
"I've just been juggling that, watching the team hurt without me and dealing with my family issues off the field," he said. "It's all been tough. With our jobs we've got to focus and work through all of that, but it's tough to do all of that at once."