Jim Kelly tells NFL Network about upcoming MRI, partying Buffalo fans, tears over Andre Reed honor

Jim Kelly appeared on the NFL Network about 30 minutes before the start of the Pro Football Hall of Fame enshrinement ceremony. Andre Reed, Kelly’s No. 1 target from his time with the Bills, will be inducted into the Hall later Saturday.

Kelly spoke with host Rich Eisen and fellow Hall of Famers Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders for about 10 minutes. Bills fans cheered in the background, and Kelly pumped his fist as they chanted “Kelly Tough.” Kelly and Irvin, who both played at the University of Miami, had an emotional hug at the end of the interview.

A few highlights from Kelly:

On his health: “I’m doing alright. I’m getting better. Coming here this weekend, to this celebration, has made me feel better, but I still have a long road to go. I’m better than I was a month ago and a lot better than I was two months ago. I’ll find out more near the end of this month when I have my first MRI since my chemo and radiation.”

On the support he’s getting from Buffalo fans: “It’s awesome. As you well know, when you’re going through tough times, you need people behind you. You need the support. … The Bills fans, the city of Buffalo have been behind me not only when I played, but when my son, Hunter, was diagnosed and passed away. And now (again) what I’m going through and what our family is going through. You can’t ask for anything better.”

On the enshrinement ceremonies being moved to the stadium for the first time because of the crowd that came to see Kelly: “We have crazy fans, and I knew we were going to get 15-20,000 people here. And Andre is going to have about the same. (Gesturing to the crowd) Look at all these crazy people. They’re here not only to watch football and to see Andre get inducted – as we all know it should have happened a while ago – but they’re here to party. Buffalo is full of partiers. That’s why I probably liked it.”

On seeing Andre Reed get his gold jacket on Friday night: “For me, that’s when I knew I made it into the Hall of Fame, when I received that jacket. Tears flowed out of my eyes that day. Tears were flowing out of my eyes last night when Andre received his jacket. Just to feel he’s finally here, he finally got what he so well deserved, all the hard work he put into it, and for me, knowing I had a small part of his success, made me feel good.

And a quote from Sanders, more of a statement than a question: “I just want to tell you, man, and I want them to know: You’re a really good dude. (Kelly laughs). No, no. You really are. To see what has transpired over Twitter and social media, you’ve got a lot of people praying for you, not just because of what’s going on but because you really are a good guy. You’ve blessed a lot of people, man.”


(syracuse.com)