Few things can bring an NFL player to tears, but jazz trumpeter Chris Botti’s powerful rendition of the national anthem is one of them.
Botti headed to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Monday night to play “The Star Spangled Banner” before the New York Giants faced the Indianapolis Colts. Botti, who won the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album last year, delivered such a moving rendition of the patriotic tune that it brought Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne to tears.
“I’m just blessed to be out there,” Wayne told ESPN after the game. “It’s an emotional game, man, and sometimes it comes out. It was a prime-time game, and an opportunity to turn things around a little bit. An old wise guy once told me you shouldn’t hold back your tears. Tonight was a night with the tears.”
The Colts beat the Giants 40 to 24.
H/T Uproxx