It's business as usual for Vernon Davis when he's on the field with San Francisco 49ers teammates, but off-the-field family issues have taken their toll on the star tight end.
Michael Davis, Vernon's 19-year-old brother, was charged with first-degree murder in Washington, D.C., in the May beating death of a 64-year-old tourist from Colorado named Gary Dederichs. Michael Davis, who has battled mental illness issues and is also facing charges related to two other random attacks -- was ruled incompetent to stand trial and is confined at a hospital for further evaluation.
Davis flew back east to be with his grandmother after the arrest, but he quickly returned so he could turn his focus to work.
"It's pretty frustrating, it's stressful," Davis told the Bay Area News Group in his first extended public comments on the situation. "But at the end of the day, I'm my own man, regardless of what my little brother does or what he did. It's him. He's got to live with that. I don't have to live with that."
Davis said it broke his heart when he heard about his brother's arrest.
"But I had to keep going," he said. "I had to pick my head up and just keep on walking. Can't let that affect me."
The details of Michael Davis' mental state and alleged behavior are pretty chilling, and it's understandable why Vernon is trying to not let his mind get too cluttered by a tragic situation back home.
Vernon's other younger brother, Vontae Davis, is a cornerback for the Miami Dolphins.
