Pittsburgh Steelers' Artie Burns Opens up About Adopting His Two Younger Brothers After His Mom's Death

staff@people.com (Tiare Dunlap)
Updated


Artie Burns had just turned 21 when his healthy, 44-year-old mom collapsed without warning. Burns rushed to be by her side at the hospital, just in time to say goodbye.

"Just seeing her like that – it was probably one of the worst images I ever saw," Burns, a cornerback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, tells PEOPLE.

With his father serving a 25-year prison sentence, Burns' two younger brothers Thomas, 16, and Jordan, 13, were suddenly orphaned overnight. Despite having his own 19-month old baby to take care of and being consumed by training for the NFL draft, Burns legally adopted his two younger brothers.

Burns and his family opened up about their incredible journey to People's List correspondent LZ Granderson.



People's List features Jerry O'Connell and Suchin Pak discussing five newsworthy individuals you need to know that week – from celebrities to everyday people, also includes features familiar to PEOPLE readers, including Scoop, PeopleStyle, PeoplePets and the Jess Cagle Interview.

For more on Burns' incredible journey, tune into PEOPLE's List at 8 p.m. ET Saturday on ABC.