No one wants to kick dirt on anyone’s grave.
And I certainly can empathize with the agony of Andy Reid and his family in the heartache of losing a son.
But am I the only one who believes there are now some serious issues created by yesterday’s news from the Northampton County D.A.’s office that they found steroids in Garrett Reid’s room after his death?
Andy Reid brought his oldest son under the umbrella of the team as a volunteer strength and conditioning coach. In doing so, Reid most likely was acting as a father, not a head coach in the NFL. I don’t blame him for trying to keep his son close, where he might be able to keep tabs on a son who had already had several scrapes with the law involving both steroids and other drugs.
But it’s pretty clear now that Andy Reid did not have that tight a rein on his son. That also is understandable. Reid was trying to run an NFL training camp, an all-consuming activity as any coach in the NFL can attest.
Yesterday, Reid issued a statement saying he did not believe his son’s activities had any effect on the team. Eagles owner Jeff Lurie called the findings “disappointing” and that they run “counter to the values and principles mandated to everyone associated with our organization.”
The league has been silent.
Lurie stressed that neither the organization or any players were aware of the younger Reid’s activities.
In a year when just about everything has gone wrong for the Eagles, it is perhaps the saddest epitaph on this season.
The rest of us look at this and can separate the Reids’ personal dilemma from the team. But the Eagles as an organization and the NFL as a league cannot.
And it’s just hard to believe this was allowed to happen.
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