Tragedy at Lehigh
Posted: August 5th, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 12 Comments »Garrett Reid, Andy’s son, was found dead at Lehigh this morning.
I cannot imagine what this is like for Andy and his family. Clearly football will take a backseat for the next few days, if not more.
I slept in this morning. When I did get up, I decided to do some reading. I’m in the middle of Jon Krakauer’s great book on Pat Tillman, Where Men Win Glory. I read the chapters today where Tillman died in the firefight and then when his wife and mom were notified of his death. That was tough to get through. I won’t lie…I was crying. Incredibly sad stuff.
I was down after reading that and decided to come downstairs and check out some football news. Little did I know that would only make things worse, not better.
The first few things I read on Twitter had me confused so I clicked over to PE.com. I watched the video of Howie Roseman making the announcement. That was tough to watch. He broke down after stepping away from the podium. This is a heartbreaking situation for the Reid family and the Eagles family.
Practice will go on this afternoon, but without Andy.
My prayers go out to the Reid family and everyone that was affected by the loss of Garrett.
condolences…
I found out by reading the plans for today’s articles in our paper. We have a columnist named Reid so the name of the story didn’t catch my eye, but the line “Andy Reid’s son dies” was a stunner. And then honestly, it wasn’t.
Garrett had a rough go of it, from what we knew. As a Dad myself, I can only imagine that Andy is beating himself up wishing he’d done more, even if there isn’t a whole lot he could have done.
Hopefully this takes the Andy Reid’s sons jokes out of the opponents making fun of the Eagles arsenal. Do the no Super Bowls thing again, it’s much better …
Selfishly, since I didn’t know Garrett, my mind eventually moves to self-interest.
The initial grief must be horrible for the team, the closer they were to him, and the closer the people are to Coach Reid. My guess is that after the initial shock, Andy will eventually want to come back to work to stay busy, and not sit around and grieve all day. But will he be able to focus? And will the team rally around their coach? Or will Reid just take the year off? Hang em up?
Maybe it’s too soon to bring it up, but as humans we’re all self-interested, are we not? I’m sad for Garrett himself, mostly, since it seems like he couldn’t catch or make his own break in life. And then sad for the family. But also, ultimately, I want to know how my beloved Eagles respond.
I think you’re just being honest if you wonder how this will affect the team. Reid normally has a laser-like focus. No telling how things will be over the next few weeks, let alone the season.
Football will be a good distraction for Big Red. We just have to hope we’re getting the right Big Red.
I’m glad you read it that way. Typed out, I didn’t know if the nuance that would normally come through in a conversation would be understood. I think it’s a human reaction to be sad at first, but also to wonder what it means to the Eagles, which is the whole reason we knew who Garrett Reid was in the first place.
RE: Reid’s Return
Successful NFL coaches are possessed — as T-Law noted in response to D3Keith’s comment — of a laser-like focus.
Tony Dungy lost his son 2 days before the last regular-season game of the 2005 season — a year in which the Colts ran off 13 straights wins. Dungy did not coach the meaningless game 16. But he was back 2 weeks later for the divisional playoff game (which the Colts lost 21-18 to the eventual SB Champion Steelers).
The next year, 2006, the Dungy coached the Colts to a SB title and retired.
Dungy’s tragedy happened at the end of a year in which the Colts looked unbeatable.
Reid’s facing a possible make-or-break season, which has only just begun.
Imagine being in the fish bowl, as Andy Reid and his family are right now.
I have two teenagers. The thought of losing either of the them is beyond words. I still feel the loss of my father some days. And it distracts from my work.
My heart goes out to him.
About 20 years ago, my best friends lost their 9 month old baby girl to SIDS. One moment she was absolutely fine and healthy and a few hours later she was dead. I helped my friends the best I could over the ensuing weeks and months but I can tell you it’s a hell I never want to go through again. And I was just the friend. I would imagine having an older child with whom you have so much more shared history would only make the pain sharper. Especially in Garrett’s case, where he seemed to have emerged from his own very dark passage, with his parents help. Sad, sad story.
As a therapist, I’ve seen two tragic scenarios that trump all others: sexual violence and losing a child. My two favorite football teams have now been struck by each. This sucks on many levels.
Hear. Hear.
This is a heartbreaking tragedy. For the first time since I heard of the guy, I don’t see Reid as a Coach, but as a man and fellow dad who must be experiencing about the deepest pain a human being can feel. Imagining what Andy and Tammy must be feeling right now brings tears to my eyes. Love and prayers to the family.
Practice should have been canceled for the day out of respect for Garrett and to let the players grieve. Sadly football does not take a backseat to tragedy.