The NFL has been bombarded with a lot of negative news lately but this one appears to be a breather. Former Baltimore Ravens player Ma'ake Kemoeatu retired from the league to donate a kidney to his brother.

Ma'ake Kemoeatu quit football in 2012 to help his brother former Pittsburgh Steeler player Chris Kemoeatu combat his medical battle.

It was, perhaps, the perfect example of putting family first as getting drafted for the NFL and playing professionally does not come easy.

According to USA Today, the symptoms of Chris' kidney ailment was felt by the player as early as when he was in the eighth grade. And even when he was already a lineman for the Steelers and have contributed to winning two Super Bowls, his kidney problem did not go away.

Chris stopped playing football after the 2011 season and Ma'ake retired after the 2012 season.

In 2013, Chris learned that he needed a kidney transplant. Fortunately, Ma'aka was a perfect match and he was more than willing to give his kidney to his brother.

"The doctor said we could pass as twins to do the surgery," Ma'ake said. "My dad wanted to do it and we kind of got into it because I didn't want him to do it. I'm the oldest of seven kids so it was my responsibilty to take care of my younger brothers and sisters."

While it appeared that the problem would be easily solved, the brothers still had to lose weight before going through with the transplant. They succeeded but found out that Chris also had a heart problem that required surgery.

The transplant was finally performed on August 27.

In a press conference at the University of Maryland, Ma'ake spoke about their decision to leave their careers and focus on his brother's health. "I've seen him struggle and the last three years of his career, fighting through a lot because of his kidney," Ma'ake said. "When we found out he needed a transplant, we had to stop our careers because his health was most important to us."

Ma'ake Kemoeatu said their family is not one to express feelings vocally and mouthing "I love you" is odd. "We were raised in a tough atmosphere," he said. "But after this, I think we say it."