The NFL offseason has officially ended, and the preseason has begun with the Pro Football Hall of Fame game this Thursday. This time the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns played the Hall of Fame game and kicked off the NFL preseason.
However, the highlight of the game probably was the National Anthem sung by the former Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos pass-rusher DeMarcus Ware. Many fans were caught off-guard by such a performance which led to the spotlight shifting away from the actual game itself.
Watch: Demarcus Ware sings National Anthem to start 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame game
This year the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game took place in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Before the game, DeMarcus Ware sang the national anthem for the fans.
After he was introduced, he took the mic and started singing the anthem. You can watch the full video of Ware singing here:
Hall of Famer @DeMarcusWare sings the Star Spangled Banner
📺: @ProFootballHOF Game on NBC
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bDdH0uvRfp pic.twitter.com/bdU6UyK1Kf— NFL (@NFL) August 4, 2023
The 41-year-old shared in an interview that he was very nervous to sing the song. He said that it’s not easy to perform in front of the ‘whole United States of America’.
“You can never be ready for that. There’s ways you can prepare for it and have ample amount of vocal lessons. But when you get up there and when the crowd goes silent, it’s your turn to get up there and sing to the whole United States of America on what it stands for. And that is huge.”
Most fans didn’t seem to like his singing at all. Some of whom took to Twitter to criticize him questioning who even allowed him to sing in this grand event.
Ayo! Wtf going on here ? Who allowed this? 😂💀 https://t.co/c4GRRMjWcm
— Circle of Slime Podcast (@CircleOfSlime) August 4, 2023
Some fans even made fun of his expressions calling his singing ‘trash.’
He making faces at the beginning of the song. I ain’t even need to listen to know it’s trash https://t.co/6sCMclV8Qr
— #LLJ🕊️ (@BlowOnMyMike) August 4, 2023
PUT THE DAMN MIC DOWN MARCUS ‼️‼️🫡 Lol https://t.co/FoNsN6h8xo
— 𝕭𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖄 𝕵𝖗. 🧸 (@BiGugly_610) August 4, 2023
DeMarcus Ware was stunned when Jerry Jones announced his Hall of Fame status
DeMarcus Ware had an exceptional NFL career. During his career from 2005-16, he played with two teams, the Cowboys and Denver Broncos. He won Super Bowl 50 in 2016 and made nine Pro Bowls.
In his 12 years of action, he had 138.5 interceptions, 654 tackles, and 35 forced fumbles. When it was announced in May that Ware will be given the Hall of Fame status, he requested Jerry Jones to present him at his Hall of Fame induction.
Yesterday, when Jones presented him at his Hall of Fame induction, Ware was left speechless. It was a heartwarming moment for both Jones and Ware.
DeMarcus Ware was speechless after Jerry Jones let him know he was a Hall of Famer. 🙌 @DeMarcusWare
📺: #PFHOF23 Enshrinement — Saturday 12pm ET on @NFLNetwork pic.twitter.com/4pIsfIHZja
— NFL (@NFL) August 3, 2023
Although fans didn’t like the singing performance by Ware, he was an exceptional NFL player, and his Hall of Fame status is a testament to his success and talents. Now that the preseason of the NFL has begun, things should finally get more exciting in the league.
