Two Things Can Be True: Roger Craig’s Hall of Fame Induction Speech

Roger Craig earned his spot in NFL history by revolutionizing the role of the running back while playing with the San Francisco 49ers. Long before Christian McCaffrey made lining up in the backfield, splitting out wide and catching passes look like a perfectly ordinary job description for an NFL running back, Roger Craig was helping write that description. Craig pioneered the modern dual-threat running back role, becoming the first player in NFL history to record 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a single season. In doing so, he created the template for today’s running back.

Hall of Fame

For 28 years, Roger Craig hoped for that knock on the door telling him that he had been selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This past February, that knock came in the form of 49ers legends Ronnie Lott and Charles Haley. On August 7, Craig was presented with a long-overdue gold jacket at the Gold Jacket Dinner, as a member of the Hall of Fame Class of 2026–an honor that was , in this writer’s opinion, nearly three decades overdue.

Unlike the other inductees, Craig didn’t deliver his Hall of Fame speech from the podium. Instead, his speech was delivered through a prerecorded video during which he publicly announced that he has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, “vascular dementia is a decline in thinking skills caused by conditions that block or reduce blood flow to various regions of the brain.” 66-year-old Craig explained that he, at first, mistook his symptoms for normal signs of aging. As his symptoms worsened, Craig saw his doctor and was diagnosed with vascular dementia, which doctors believe  may be related, at least in part, to the concussions he experienced during his career.

During his prerecorded speech, Craig acknowledged everything that football gave him and how much he still loves the game, while also acknowledging the dangers of the sport. "Two things can be true: Football gave me opportunities beyond anything I could imagine. It helped shape the man I became. At the same time, we know more today about brain health than when I played.” Craig encouraged people to pay attention to their health,  adding that if his story helped even one family or one former player, it was worth it.

Craig said that he wanted people to know his diagnosis doesn't define him. “I am still Roger Craig. I am still a father, a husband, a teammate, a friend, and someone who loves this game and the people who brought it to my life.”

Still Me

As I listened to Craig speak, I heard him put into words something that I’ve struggled with myself: separating who I am from my diagnosis. While I don’t have vascular dementia, I related deeply to Craig’s words. Like him, I had a career that I loved. I also sustained a head injury that took the life I knew away from me. When you’re chronically ill, people often start to view you as a sick person. Conversations become little more than, “How are you feeling?” And, quite honestly, it becomes hard not to start seeing yourself that way. But just because you’re sick doesn’t mean that you’re not the same person that you were before. I always say that my illness is the least interesting thing about me.

Also, hearing Craig talk about how “two things can be true,” I related on a deep level. Football gave Craig extraordinary opportunities, but the concussions he sustained while playing may also have contributed to his dementia. Two things can be true for me too. I can love the work I did with children with special needs, and acknowledge that I sustained a head injury while doing that work–a head injury that changed the course of my life. I returned to the field whenever my health allowed because what happened to me never erased how much the work meant to me.

Roger Craig ended his Hall of Fame speech with gratitude. “I'm grateful. I'm grateful for this game, and grateful for the people it brought into my life. And grateful I can stand before you today and call this journey a blessing.”

With his enshrinement in Canton, Roger Craig has cemented his place in NFL history. After 28 years, the Hall of Fame finally acknowledged who Roger Craig had always been as a player, but he won’t let his illness define who he is as a person. He will always be Roger Craig, the former 49ers running back who changed the game and blazed a trail for all those who came after him.