Titans wide receiver Corey Davis played on Thursday night just a day after his brother, Titus Davis, died of cancer at the age of 27. Afterward Corey Davis said it was his brother’s wish that he continue to play.
Titus Davis was a star wide receiver at Central Michigan and had a brief NFL career, and Corey Davis wanted to play football because he so looked up to his older brother.
“As he was laying there all he kept telling my sister was to tell me to play, regardless of what happens,” Davis said.. “He just kept telling me to play, telling me to play throughout the whole process. That’s my biggest fan. Since I was a little kid I was always chasing after him and trying to be like him. I wore his number every year to copy him. He thought it was annoying, but I looked up to him tremendously. That was my idol, my hero. I tried to honor him tonight.”
Davis said he was thinking of his brother throughout the game.
“It was heavy on my mind, every play,” Davis said. “But I just kept thinking this is what he wanted me to do. He wouldn’t want me to be sad and sulk and feel sorry for myself. I obviously miss him and wish he was here, but I know he’s in a better place and that he was with me today.”
On a rough night for the Titans, Davis was one of the few bright spots, leading the team with five catches for 67 yards.