Eagles rookie honors late brother by making it to NFL: ‘I started letting him live inside me’

PHILADELPHIA – Every time Andre’ Sam doubts the Eagles’ rookie’s safety, he imagines what his brother would say to motivate him.

Sam, who signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent last spring, spent the season on the practice squad. But the struggle to become an NFL starter is nothing compared to the heartache he experienced in the first 18 years of his life.

Sam lost his father and grandfather when he was 6 years old, and on the first day of his senior year of high school in 2016, his 23-year-old brother Aaron Sam was shot and killed in a home invasion in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

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Andre’ Sam didn’t know how he would move forward without his older brother, who was one of his greatest role models. He even considered retiring from football because his passion for the sport temporarily waned.

But over the last eight years, Andre’ Sam has turned his pain into purpose and persevered through difficult times to fulfill Aaron Sam’s dream of making it to the NFL.

“I started letting him live inside me,” Andre’ Sam told NJ Advance Media last week. “Like we were both in the NFL. We both play for the Eagles. We both do this and that. So it’s amazing.”

Aaron Sam, who was one of the Southland Conference’s best safeties during his time at McNeese State, believed he would one day make it to the NFL.

When André makes a mistake during training or doesn’t feel like playing because of sore muscles, he hears his brother encouraging him. He believes that Aaron would have enjoyed being in his position and this thought pushes him to work harder.

Now Andre’ is fighting for a spot on the Eagles’ 53-man roster.

During the week, he practices with the scout team defense – a group of practice players and substitutes who simulate looks for the starting offense. His role isn’t glamorous and doesn’t come with much job security, but he doesn’t let that affect his attitude.

“He came as an unused player, an outsider. He’s been making plays since he’s been here,” said Eagles safety Tristin McCollum, who was on the practice squad last year. “He gave the impression of being a great player. He’s a smart guy. He can read and react quickly. He will play a big role in this league.”

After all, Andre has come a long way to get to this point anyway.

“Never take no for an answer”

Andre’ experienced his first doubts in high school and eventually crushed them thanks to his brother’s mantra of “never taking no for an answer.” College coaches told Andre’ – now 5-10, 194 pounds – that he was too slow and too small to be a Division I safety and so he wasn’t allowed to play during his senior season at Iowa High School in Louisiana received scholarship offers.

But in 2017, he transferred to McNeese State — Aaron Sam’s former college team and a DI program — and redshirted as a freshman before eventually earning a scholarship. He played seven seasons (2017-23) for three different college programs: McNeese State (2017-2021), Marshall (2022) and LSU (2023). The NCAA granted him a medical exemption to play an additional year last fall.

“When we lost him, it was kind of like a lost love for football and just life,” Andre’ Sam said. “I just knew I couldn’t give up now. It was like, ‘I have to keep going, no matter how hard it gets, no matter how long it takes.'”

“He wanted to go on the field and train him.”

The Sam brothers lived in a rural area outside of Lake Charles where they enjoyed fishing, shooting their air rifles, riding four-wheelers and riding horses.

Andrea Sam said her sons became more competitive as they got older and spent a lot of time playing basketball and soccer. Aaron always won these battles because he was stronger and bigger.

After their father’s death in 2006, Aaron developed a closer relationship with Andre. When Aaron attended Andre’s soccer games, Aaron would often get upset when he saw him make a mistake.

“It was like he wanted to go on the field and coach (Andre) right at that time,” Andrea Sam told NJ Advance Media. “When I lost my husband, Aaron was 13. So he immediately thought he was the father. He taught his brother. (Football) was her passion. He always felt like he had to show Andre and teach him something.

“Even when Andre thought Aaron was wrong, he just let him show him. He said, “Mom, I know how to do this.” They had a close bond. Very, very close.”

During middle school, Andre trained with Aaron every summer to prepare for football season. Aaron completed four training sessions per day, with the first session starting at 6 a.m. and the last session ending at 9 p.m. He had Andre swim to get in shape, run in the sand to get stronger, and practice soccer techniques to improve his skills.

Andre often complained that he was too tired and needed a break from the heat. He wondered why Aaron was pushing his limits.

As Andre realized that the training was making him better, he was more receptive to Aaron’s advice and practiced everything his brother taught him.

“He showed me exactly the things a father would show his child,” Andre’ said of Aaron’s impact. “From sports to school to life. Just a huge, huge mentor. He loved me very, very much. He kept after me hard. I didn’t really like it. But looking back, it helped shape me and make me the man I am now and continue to grow into.”

“It’s my turn to give something back”

Andre’ said he became “the man of the house” after Aaron died. He worked at Sonic his senior year and took three jobs in college so his mother would have more money to support his younger sister, Aasia Sam.

“(My mom) still woke up with a smile on her face and made sure me and my sister had food on the table and clothes on our backs,” Andre’ Sam said. “We weren’t late for practice, for a meeting. She’s the damn GOAT.

“She did what she was supposed to do. She raised us. Now it’s my turn to give something back.”

Andre’ said his brother’s death is “still a huge burden” for him. He tried to stay strong for his family and become someone they could rely on in difficult times.

But his mother encouraged him to be himself and show his feelings.

“I say, ‘Hey, I’m here. You can talk to me. I would prefer it if you were open and honest with me. “You can’t talk to me just because I’m a mother,” Andrea told Sam.

When Andre’ Sam turned 23, he moved away from the Lake Charles area for the first time in his life – to Huntington, West Virginia, where he went to Marshall.

At that time, he became even more grateful for his mother, who was now 15 hours away.

“You just grow up and you’re like, ‘Man, I can’t be raised by a woman,'” Andre’ Sam said. “I felt like that for a long time. I tried doing things on my own and learned from it. There were some ups and some downs.

“But once my mother and I became very close, me and my mother could talk about anything and everything. I know that if I need something, no matter what it is, she is just a phone call away and with her it’s the other way around.”

“Make him proud”

Andre’ still feels connected to Aaron eight years after his death. It comes as he talks to his nephew and niece.

Aaron Sam’s 8-year-old son Maddox and his 9-year-old daughter Aadisyn both admire “Uncle Andre.”

After her son made the Philadelphia practice squad, Andrea Sam bought an Eagles T-shirt and showed it to her grandson.

“I’m so proud that Uncle Andre is in the NFL. “I want to be just like him,” Andrea remembered Maddox telling her.

A few weeks ago, Andrea gave Maddox his own Eagles t-shirt. He was obsessed with it.

“They actually have some iPads. So they’ll send me some messages saying, ‘Hey, we love you and miss you.’ Little things like that add up,” Andre’ Sam said. “To me they are Aadisyn and Maddox, but to me they are like the last bit of my brother.

“I just plan on always being there for them and letting them know that they are always welcome to talk to me about anything.”

While Andre holds the people in his life close, he will never forget Aaron, whose love he represented through tattoos on his body.

He has a portrait of Aaron on his right leg, Aaron’s name with his date of birth and year of death (1993-2016) on his left forearm, and the words “forever 21” on his right forearm to honor his brother’s football career. Aaron wore number 21 at McNeese State and Andre’ also wore that number with the Cowboys.

Andre’ said the pain of losing his brother and other family members “could have worn him down to the point where he almost collapsed.” But he didn’t want his pain to get in the way of realizing his brother’s dream – and ultimately becoming a support for his family.

“My brother will forever be my favorite football player,” said Andre’ Sam. “It just feels really good to make him proud now.”

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