Steely Dan
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http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_...gers-ogemdi-nwagbuo-find-brotherly-connection
A brothers' tale for Omon, Nwagbuo
They plan to meet for the first time Thursday when the 49ers play at San Diego
Merrill By Elizabeth Merrill
ESPN.com
In a few days, the NFL will make its final purge, casting away pieces that don't fit. Xavier Omon, a fourth-string running back for the San Francisco 49ers, might be on one of those lists, and it won't be a stunning revelation for a man who has been cut three times. In life, like in football, Omon has struggled to fit in. He was one of just three African-American kids at Beatrice High School in southeastern Nebraska, and freshman year, he says he was called the N-word. "Honestly," he said, "I beat the hell out of the kid. It never happened again." He lost two brothers by the time he was 15 and never knew his biological father.
But Omon used to dream about what his dad was like. He'd be big and strong and look just like him, but with a beard and an older face. He'd buy him a Game Boy and take him places. The old man called once, when Xavier was in fourth or fifth grade, and promised to visit. Omon says he never heard from him again.
So for nearly 26 years, Xavier Omon felt as if he had half of a life. Then a message came that changed everything....
A brothers' tale for Omon, Nwagbuo
They plan to meet for the first time Thursday when the 49ers play at San Diego
Merrill By Elizabeth Merrill
ESPN.com
In a few days, the NFL will make its final purge, casting away pieces that don't fit. Xavier Omon, a fourth-string running back for the San Francisco 49ers, might be on one of those lists, and it won't be a stunning revelation for a man who has been cut three times. In life, like in football, Omon has struggled to fit in. He was one of just three African-American kids at Beatrice High School in southeastern Nebraska, and freshman year, he says he was called the N-word. "Honestly," he said, "I beat the hell out of the kid. It never happened again." He lost two brothers by the time he was 15 and never knew his biological father.
But Omon used to dream about what his dad was like. He'd be big and strong and look just like him, but with a beard and an older face. He'd buy him a Game Boy and take him places. The old man called once, when Xavier was in fourth or fifth grade, and promised to visit. Omon says he never heard from him again.
So for nearly 26 years, Xavier Omon felt as if he had half of a life. Then a message came that changed everything....