Jerome Bettis’ son is following in his footsteps.
The former Pittsburgh Steelers running back, 52, who shares two children, Jerome Jr., 17, and Jada, 20, with wife Trameka Bettis, shared his excitement over his son’s football journey in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE ahead of the Super Bowl LIX from the SiriusXM set at Media Row.
“That’s a fun father moment — a proud dad moment — because he’s got an opportunity, [and] really he’s following in my footsteps, but he’s creating his own path,” Bettis tells PEOPLE. “He’s going to my alma mater, and so he’ll have an opportunity to experience some of the things that I got a chance to experience, so that’s what’s fun about this.”
“I know that he will have that backing if you will, once his career is over, wherever it takes him,” he adds. “Now, if it’s not the NFL that’s fine, but I think this gives him the opportunity to establish himself for years and years going forward.”
Jerome Bettis attends the Fanatics Super Bowl Party on February 12, 2022 in Culver City, California.
JC Olivera/WireImage
Bettis’ son Jerome Jr. announced that he would be attending his dad’s alma mater, the University of Notre Dame, on March 17, 2024 on Instagram.
“He did! I didn’t push very hard, maybe a little, but, no, I did not,” he says of his son’s college choice. “I wanted him to make his own decision because ultimately he had to be the one to go to school there, and go through the good times and the bad times, which he’s gonna have.”
“I wanted him to make that decision, but I’m so happy he did choose Notre Dame,” the proud dad of two admits to us. “I was on pins and needles for a while.”
Bettis’ daughter Jada also attends the esteemed university.
Jerome Bettis and his family.
Jerome Bettis/instagram
Aside from his children and his wife, the NFL Hall of Famer, who officially graduated from college in 2022 after 13 seasons in the NFL, has a special project close to his heart.
“I’m fortunate enough to be working with the CDC Foundation and Live to the Beat is the moniker that we want people to understand is important,” he says. “Heart health is critically important and I think a lot of people don’t understand hypertension [and] high blood pressure. These things are killers, especially in the Black community.”
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re taking the necessary steps to correct that, and it’s small steps,” he explains to PEOPLE. “Taking some of the salt out of your diet, going for a walk, exercise, just small things you can do that really changes your quality of life.”
Bettis tells us that overall he wants to emphasize the importance of maintaining a healthy heart.
“It’s really life and death, and that’s what I think people need to understand,” he says. “We can make small changes, [and] it can prevent some of these deaths.”
