Photo: Cooper Neill/Getty
Isiah “Butch” Roberston, the All-Pro linebacker who played seven seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, died on Thursday, hisformer team confirms. He was 69.
Robertson was driving a limousine near Mabank, Texas when he skidded on the rainy road and collided with two other vehicles in the fatal wreck, theNFLreported.
Isiah Robertson.Focus on Sport/Getty
Robertson often spoke about his recovery from addiction, according toTexas Star-Telegram, who captured his final speech at the banquet, which touched upon getting help and giving back because “life is about helping others.”
“If you have a setback, you don’t have to take a step back because God’s gonna come back,” he said,just hours before the fatal crash. “I want to tell you, God has a plan for every one of you.”
“After the game, they came back, they came into my house, they drug me to my feet and they took me to a treatment center,” he told the audience. “But that’s where God touched me at. That’s where I got set free at. And that’s why I give back.”
“Our thoughts are with his family, his friends and his teammates during this difficult time,” the Rams finished alongside two photos of their former linebacker.
On Friday, many spoke out on social media and paid tribute to Robertson, including his former teammates and Hall of Famers Jack Youngblood and Eric Dickerson.
“RIP Isiah Robertson. Came into the league @RamsNFL together. We pray for you and will miss you,” Youngblood, 68,wrote alongside a photo of the pairon the field in the 70s.
“Heartbroken to hear about the passing of @NFL @RamsNFL legend and my good friend Isiah Robertson,” Dickerson, 58, wrote in aseparate tweet. “Isiah was such a good man. Isiah and his family are in my thoughts and prayers”
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In 1979, Robertson was traded to the Buffalo Bills, where he played until his retirement after the 1982 season, the NFL said.
Most recently in 2017, Robertson was inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
source: people.com
