Julius Peppers didn’t need long to earn induction of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He didn’t need long to finish his induction speech either.
Peppers, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, took just long enough to thank more than two dozen people, many of them in the Panthers organization where he spent 10 seasons. The second overall pick in 2002 played 17 seasons and made 159.5 sacks.
He used a story he heard from Tyler Perry throughout his speech, referring to the root people, the branch people and the leaf people in our lives.
“Some people come into our lives for a season,” Peppers said. “They get easily influenced and probably don’t last through the tough times. When the wind blows, they fall away. Those are the leaf people. Some people come into our lives for support, and they’re a little stronger than the leaves, but if you put too much pressure and weight on them, eventually they break. Those are branch people. Then, sometimes you meet people that are solid, that you can depend on no matter what, to help you build a stable foundation that allows you to grow. They provide strength, and they hold you through the storms. Those are the root people.”
Peppers become the 90th player to earn first-ballot induction after becoming one of only 29 players in history to be on two All-Decade teams. He was the best of the best edge rushers in the 2000s and 2010s.
Peppers spent his first eight seasons with Carolina before playing for the Bears (2010-13) and then the Packers (2014-16). He finished his career with a two-season reunion with the Panthers.
He made 11 sacks in 2017 at the age of 37, one of only five players in NFL history with a double-digit sack season at 37 or older.
Five years after his retirement, Peppers is enshrined with the best of the best, and NBA Hall of Famer Michael Jordan was one of those who came to Canton to celebrate Peppers’ induction.
Peppers said he wouldn’t be where he is without all the “root people” in his life, and encouraged everyone to be a “root person” for others.
“Everyone can’t be a Pro Football Hall of Famer,” Peppers said. “But everyone can be a Hall of Famer in life. . . . Whatever it is you do, do it with respect, passion, resilience, dedication and gratitude. That alone will make you a Hall of Fame person. And you, too, can have the legacy that lives on forever.”