49ers' Delanie Walker channels grief over SB crash into action

For Delanie Walker, it's like the Super Bowl “didn't even happen.”

The 49ers tight end told the San Francisco Chronicle he forgot about Super Bowl XLVII as soon as he learned his aunt -- who helped raise him -- and uncle were killed by an alleged drunk driver outside New Orleans the morning after the game.

Walker is channeling his grief into action.

He'll sign memorabilia at a dinner Saturday to raise money for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and on May 11 he'll lead a team at the Bay Area Walk Like MADD event.

“My auntie was very close to me,” Walker told the paper. “It really hurt me because she came out to watch me play. It was something that happened to her when she came out to see me. That's what hit me the hardest.”

Alice and Bryan Young had stopped their car on the shoulder of I-10 about 5:30 a.m. Monday, Feb. 4 for unknown reasons when a speeding Mercedes C230 driven by Nechole Thomas, 26, plowed into the back of their vehicle, police said. Thomas, who suffered minor injuries, was charged with two counts of vehicular homicide, DWI and reckless operation, police said. Her blood-alcohol level tested above the .08 legal limit, police said.

Walker tweeted about the tragedy that day, posting a picture with his aunt and uncle.

“I just want to open up people's eyes,” Walker told the paper. “It's never the person that's drinking and driving that gets hurt. It's always the person that's doing the right thing and trying to get home and mind their business. This happens so much and now it's really hit home for me. I just want to make people more aware through my story.”

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, subscribe to our RSS Feed, watch Pro Football 360 daily at 3 ET and NFL newsletter. You can also follow Larry Hartstein @LarryHartstein.