Waiting for Tom Burleson

I have been collecting autographs (on and off) for almost 30 years. I usually concentrate on the celebs I have met on this site, but I have gotten the majority of my autographs through the mail. There are a ton of sites and books which give addresses and sometimes various publications print updates on celebrities, including current business ventures.
One such update appeared in a Sports Illustrated piece in late 2000. I discovered that former NBA player Tom Burleson was managing a business in his native state of North Carolina. I sent Burleson a letter asking him to sign a basketball card. I also enclosed a couple extra for him to keep and the usual SASE (a collectors' must).
Last Tuesday, more than 8 years later, that SASE was in my mailbox, affixed with the additional postage and filled with all 3 cards signed. A new personal record for waiting for an autograph return was just set.
I have had long waits before. I might even still have some longer waits coming to me in the future. I just am always amazed at these waits though.
Don't get me wrong. I am always grateful for the signatures, no matter how long they took to get back to me. However, I always wonder about the process of returning the request.
Did the letter fall behind his couch and he just rediscovered it? Is he that bad at reading and responding to mail? Does he just get that much mail and he can't keep up?
With no offense to Burleson, I doubt it is the last option. Burleson had a solid 7 year NBA career, but he wasn't a major star. I am sure he gets some autograoh requests, but certainly not a deluge.
Like I wrote, there was no note. Burleson did not explain what happened over the last 8 years. Of course, I didn't expect an explanation, as much as I would have loved one just to answer the question.
Instead, I am left to wonder.