They’re revered in Broncos Country for ferocious hits and game-changing picks, but what bonds Hall of Famer Steve Atwater and Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons is the unseen hand of late Aunt Gertha.
“Aunt Gertha was my favorite. She did so much for me when I was a kid,” Atwater told me. “Aunt Gertha taught me: ‘Do what you can do, wherever you’re at. If you can make an impact, big or small, on somebody’s life, do it.’”
So what on earth does Aunt Gertha have to do with football?
In this painful season for the Broncos, you can feel the generosity of Gertha’s heart in every smile of Atwater as he regularly mingles with current players at team headquarters, sometimes offering tips to Simmons, taken under his wing as a protégé.