AJ came home from his first semester at Salisbury complaining of neck pain. What was supposed to just be a trip to urgent care resulted in a diagnosis right before the holidays.
For over two years, AJ bravely fought acute myeloid leukemia. He passed away on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014 at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Though AJ didn’t get to see his little brother go on to Virginia Tech or the NFL, Joey credits his influence for shaping his life.
“For a long part of my life I had my head down just kind of following in his footsteps, so once he passed, I had to look up and realized I had to forge my own path,” Joey said. “I was lucky enough to play at Virginia Tech and now the NFL, so I feel like the path that he set me on is what got me here.”
Finding his own way wasn’t easy.
A 2018 NFL undrafted free agent, the journeyman bounced between the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Commanders, and Jacksonville Jaguars in the last five seasons before winning the starting job with the Patriots in 2024.
In any opportunity he had, never knowing how long it would last, he represented his brother on the NFL’s stage through My Cause My Cleats. This year is no exception.
The Slye family’s support system in Stafford, Virginia rallied around them during AJ’s treatment, and long after that. About a year after AJ’s passing, conversation with family friends sparked the idea of starting a foundation to give back to the community that poured into them and keep AJ’s legacy alive.
From there the SlyeStrong#6 Foundation was born.
Every year, they host a handful of events and charity drives to benefit hospitals and families trying to navigate their cancer diagnoses, as well as raise money for six $2,000 scholarships. The scholarships are awarded every year to six students in Stafford and four other surrounding towns. Five go to…
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