Patriots Discuss The Legacy Of Pete Frates: 'He's A Hero'
BOSTON (CBS) -- Pete Frates was laid to rest on Friday after his long battle with ALS. The former Boston College baseball star is remembered for all the work he's done to raise awareness for the disease, most notably as the face of the Ice Bucket Challenge.
Tributes have poured in for Frates since he passed away on Monday, and the New England Patriots reflected on his legacy Friday afternoon in Foxboro.
"He had a great impact and, I think, took a really tough situation and turned it into a positive for people, brought great awareness to a tremendous cause," quarterback Tom Brady said of Frates. "He's resting peacefully now and we wish his family the best."
"I think he's a hero, honestly," said special teams captain Matthew Slater. "The awareness he brought to such a terrible disease, the courage with which he faced that diseases up until his passing is so heroic and so brave. It's really a terrible disease and it brought awareness to me personally as i read about the Ice Bucket Challenge and then I ran into the disease, and it's just a very terrible disease. I'm prayerful that we can find a cure in my lifetime.
"I think everyone should take a minute to appreciate what he was able to do with his life," said Slater. "The courage with which he fought and the awareness he brought, and how he tried to help others up until his final days."
Frates was the inspiration behind the Ice Bucket Challenge, which became a viral sensation in the summer of 2014. About 17 million people from around the world raised more than $200 million worldwide for the fight against ALS.
