Video: Seahawks' Marcus Tubbs recalls mother's breast cancer

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Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs, a top draft pick in 2004, had high hopes for his rookie season. But he was plagued by injuries and something even more painful.

"My rookie year, my mom actually passed away Dec. 17, 2004, so that crushed me," he said.

His mother had lost a six-year battle with breast cancer, a battle that was filled with ups and downs.

"When I was in high school, she had breast cancer, she went into remission. We were really excited," said Marcus. "She began to reach milestones, and it was a year without cancer, two years without cancer. There was excitement in the house."

"I remember she'd get a letter in the mail and say you are two years without cancer and we'd take the letter and just run around the house so we were all really excited."

Sadly, the cancer came back.

"It came back in the form of breast cancer again," said Marcus. "She wasn't able to come to any of my games, I'm glad she was able to see me get drafted. And that was one of the proudest days. I'm glad she was able to see that."

Marcus's mother was the backbone of the family.

"She was just a smart lady," he said. "I could call her and ask her about anything and she would get on me and she was really hard on me growing up."

"You don't realize how good you have it until the person is gone," he said. And she made me so strong.  And even though she was hard on me and I didn’t understand, she put a fire in me that's unstoppable. It carries over to football and life."

Jean: How does she drive you, even now?

"I truly feel that there’s nothing I can’t do. Whether it’s another rep on bench press or extra sprint, I think about her struggle and the days she didn’t want to get up and the days after chemo, how bad and weak it made her body and the weeks after, and to see that she struggled to get to the next treatment to do the same thing, there’s nothing I can’t do."

Jean: Do you hear her talk to you?

"I still hear her yelling at me, encouraging me, giving me a pat on the back, just giving me a hug and a kiss."

On the field, his mother is always with him.

"Just every time I make a sack, I make it a point to point to my mom and I know she’s looking at me and she’s proud and I’m her little baby playing in the NFL and that’s what I’ll always be and and I just want her to know that what I just did was because of you and I'll keep doing it and every sack I’ll keep pointing. I’m just going to glorify her in anyway I can."