Some won’t look at Roy Halladay the same after learning of a National Transportation Safety Board report that stated the Hall of Fame pitcher was on high levels of amphetamines and morphine while doing acrobatic stunts in the small plane that took his life in a crash in November 2017.
Brandy Halladay sees her no husband differently than she has in the two-plus years since her two sons lost their father at the age of 40.
“Yesterday’s NTSB report on Roy’s accident was painful for our family, as it caused us to relive the worst day of our lives,” Brandy said in a statement issued on her behalf by the Phillies. “It has reinforced what I previously stated, that no one is perfect. Most families struggle in some capacity and ours was no exception. We respectfully ask that you not make assumptions or pass judgment. Rather, we encourage you to hug your loved ones and appreciate having them in your lives. As a family, we ask that you allow Roy to rest in peace.”
In July, Brandy spoke in front of a crowd of 55,000 on Roy’s behalf during his posthumous induction into the Hall of Fame. During an emotional, seven-minute speech, Brandy hinted at the personal issues the two-time Cy Young winner was dealing with.
“I think that Roy would want everybody to know that people are not perfect,” she said. “We are all imperfect and flawed in one way or another. We all struggle. But with hard work, humility and dedication, imperfect people can still have perfect moments.
“Roy was blessed in his life and career to have some perfect moments, but I believe they were only possible because of the man he strives to be, the teammate that he was, and the people he was so blessed to be on the field with.
“So many of the guys that I’ve known in my life through baseball, they work so hard to hide them. I know Roy did. And Roy struggled a lot. Sometimes it’s hard to present the image you know everyone wants to see. It’s hard to be judged by the image people expect of you. It’s important we don’t sensationalize and idealize what a baseball player is, but look at the man and the human.
“I think Roy would rather be remembered by who he was, not what he did on the ball field.’’