same time, we also worked.” The crazy dream started to seem a little less crazy in 2012, when Trey received a scholarship to Virginia Tech, two hours northwest of their hometown in Danville, Virginia. Two years later, Terrell joined him in Blacksburg, followed a year later by Tremaine. The unattainable dream began to seem slightly attainable when Trey joined the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2017. Then Terrell was drafted in 2018 by the Pittsburgh Steelers — 12 picks after the Buffalo Bills took Tremaine at No. 16 overall. (They were the first brothers to be selected in the first round of the same NFL draft.) Three brothers. In the NFL. At the same time. A dream come true? Absolutely. But that was just one pipe dream. The more unfathomable dream was still out of reach. Yet, a sliver of hope arrived four months after Terrell was drafted, when the Steelers signed Trey to their practice squad. Then the 2019 schedule was released — Week 15, December 15, Pittsburgh would host … Buffalo. Three brothers. In the NFL. In the same game.
AP Photo/Adam Hunger
Trey, Terrell and Tremaine all remained healthy leading up to the contest, and it was actually flexed to primetime because of the playoff implications. The Bills were in
the midst of their best season this century, and the Steelers were struggling without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger but had battled back into playoff contention. All that meant little to Ferrell and Felicia and the dozens of family members and friends who joined them that frigid night at Heinz Field. After years of dreaming and thousands of workouts, they were focused on their boys sharing an NFL field. “That night meant the world to us,” Trey, a 25-yearold running back, recently recalled from Pittsburgh. “Sometimes I ask myself, ‘Did it mean more to us or did it mean more to our parents?’ Just seeing the smiles on their faces, and just seeing them overfilled with joy and just lit up, I would trade everything I have to see moments like that.” “Having the opportunity to do it on the biggest level, it was amazing,” Terrell, a 23-yearold safety, said moments before Trey. “It was a blessing in all forms … It was a night I’ll always remember simply because it’s something that you talk about when you’re younger but you never know if it’ll ever happen. And then it happened that one night.” “Man, it was just a dream,” Tremaine, a 22-year-old linebacker, said from Buffalo. “I mean, we would be dreaming as children, but when it was actually here it was like, ‘Man, this is really true.’ So I kind of
“MAN, [THE THREE OF US PLAYING IN THE SAME GAME] WAS JUST A DREAM. I MEAN, WE WOULD BE DREAMING AS CHILDREN, BUT WHEN IT WAS ACTUALLY HERE IT WAS LIKE, ‘MAN, THIS IS REALLY TRUE.’ SO I KIND OF HAD TO CALM THOSE EMOTIONS DOWN GOING INTO THE GAME.” — TREMAINE EDMUNDS
“IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT ME, IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT YOU DO IN CHURCH; IT’S WAY BIGGER THAN THAT. IT’S ABOUT THE RELATIONSHIP YOU HAVE WITH GOD. THE QUICKER I WAS ABLE TO PICK THAT UP, I WAS ABLE TO FIND PEACE.” — TREY EDMUNDS
“WE DID PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING IN THE CHURCH GROWING UP, AND THAT WAS JUST OUR FOUNDATION, BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY OUR PARENTS ALWAYS MADE SURE THAT WE REALIZED WE COULDN’T DO ANYTHING ON THE FIELD, IN THE CLASSROOM, OR JUST ENJOY THE FELLOWSHIP OF FAMILY WITHOUT GOD.” — TERRELL EDMUNDS
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Trey Edmunds
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