Special bond with sister keeps Brett Hundley grounded

In trying to figure out what Brett Hundley values most, his wrists are a good place to start.

During many of the redshirt sophomore quarterback’s stand-up interviews with reporters, three wristbands fit snug just above a right hand that has flung the football more than 6,000 yards in two seasons at UCLA.

One reads “Kappa Alpha Psi,” the predominately African American fraternity to which Hundley belongs.

Another, a tie-dyed-looking blend of powder blue and white, reads “Never Give Up,” a mantra he has lived by as the captain of a team that has endured brutal losses this season to balance out its victories.

The third occupies both wrists.

In red lettering emboldened by a light-gray background, “ENDEPILEPSY.Org” serves as a symbol of support and recognition of his sister, Paris, who suffers from epilepsy.

She is one of 65 million people around the world who endures the neurological disorder, which is frequently characterized by seizures, each and every day. The Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Los Angeles estimates that 200,000 Americans will be diagnosed with epilepsy this year.

Paris Hundley’s personal struggle is one whose crippling effects are felt daily; in her 21 years, she has had more than 100 epilepsy-related hospital visits. It’s also a struggle that has forged a close bond between brother and sister.

“(Brett) helps me,” she said. “He’ll keep me in line with my epilepsy when I try and get mad or feel bad about myself or want to cry, he’ll get mad at me, like, ‘Keep your head up. What are you talking about?’”

Each of the last two years, the two have participated in Pasadena’s Walk to End Epilepsy, a benefit for epilepsy research that takes place just steps from the Rose Bowl turf on which Hundley has made a name for himself. At this year’s event, which took place Nov. 17, the two were guests of honor.

[WATCH: “Team Hundley” promotes epilepsy awareness at the Walk to End Epilepsy]

Epilepsy, by nature, is complicated and unpredictable. There are good days and far too many bad days to cope with. That Sunday, however, was a good day.

“Honestly, it’s a blessing. You see her out here today, smiling and stuff, but it hasn’t always been smiles and stuff like that,” said Brett Hundley at the event. “You have to understand that it’s a little different when you have somebody who is dealing with it. We’re out here supporting the cause, but it’s something that’s serious. For her to keep pushing through it, I think it’s big.”

Paris Hundley’s battle is one that has established a rather humbling perspective for Brett Hundley.

“It sort of brings you back down to earth,” he said. “Sometimes you can get away from things, being a quarterback in L.A. in a Division I program, but it really brings you back down to earth and puts you where you need to be.”

Sibling rivalry

In discussing the maturity of his second-year starting quarterback at Pac-12 media day in July, coach Jim Mora said a few things in particular set Hundley apart.

“Brett is very grounded as a human being,” Mora said. “He’s got a great family, and he’s got a sister that keeps him in line.”

Paris Hundley is just a year older than her brother, but make no mistake, a big sister mentality has taken full effect. She often refers to him as “her baby” and hardly a day goes by when the two don’t talk.

“They still just keep very close contact and she can go to him for advice and vice versa,” said Edna Johnson, their grandmother. “He gets it from her whether he likes it or not. It’s her baby, and she doesn’t want to see him make any missteps.”

So far, the younger brother has been well-behaved during his time in Westwood, but what’s a brother-sister power struggle without the occasional earful?

“He’ll just be getting out of line, and I’ll have to say, ‘Brett, you’ll get yourself in trouble,’” Paris Hundley said. “Crazy thing is, sometimes he’ll listen every once in a while.”

He frequently does. Before every game, they talk over the phone. But the subjects of crowd noise, defensive schemes and wide receiver check-downs are never broached. Rather, the quarterback said the chats are always about life, how it goes beyond football and how to navigate its day-to-day struggles.

Paris Hundley said this season, more than ever, Brett Hundley the football player has opened up. Expectations of a university intent on becoming a full-fledged football school, speculation about the NFL draft and questions about performance against the Pac-12’s elite have added tremendous stress to the game for him after a redshirt freshman season in which the Bruins rose from relative nothingness.

“I think he’s had a lot of pressure this year, more than last. … He’s had a lot to deal with,” Paris Hundley said. “He knows he can always come to me or family, and sometimes he tries to hold stuff in, that’s his mistake. But I think now he’s finally getting it that he can actually open up and come to us, because he’s needed to this year.”

In his family’s eyes, the pressure has sculpted an 18-year-old college boy arriving at UCLA into an adult.

On a day-to-day basis, the star quarterback has handled the increased recognition with grace. On Nov. 17, as with every public appearance, Hundley shook every approaching fan’s hand with a smile on his face and took dozens of buddy pictures without an expression of fatigue.

“He has really, really grown and he’s become a man. He’s not a child anymore,” Johnson said. “I think he realizes the position he’s put in carries a lot of responsibility with it and he has accepted that responsibility. He’s carrying it well.”

He realizes, though, that it wouldn’t be at all possible without the support of his family, which spends its Saturdays at college football stadiums throughout the West. Wherever Brett Hundley goes, they go.

Even with Paris Hundley’s condition, she fights to make it to every game.

“Every single one,” Brett Hundley said. “Even the Washington State game last year. It’s crazy to see her out here.”

Just two days before this year’s Arizona game, she had surgery on her shoulder but toughed it out and made it to the 31-26 victory in a sling.

So far, she likes what she sees.

“The Bruins are doing pretty good this year, and that’s not just because of Brett,” she said. “It’s the whole team, but I’m very proud of Brett.”

The feeling from her brother is mutual, but he almost doesn’t have to say it.

He practically wears it on his sleeve.