On Tuesday morning, Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid, along with his family, will mourn the unimaginable loss of his son, Garrett Reid. His extended football will also be there to support him.
Breer: Eagles rally around Reid
Eagles coach Andy Reid needs support after losing one of his sons, 29-year-old Garrett, and the team is sure to be there for him, Albert Breer writes. **More ...**
The entire Eagles team will bus down from their training camp at Lehigh University to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Broomall, Pa., for Garrett Reid's funeral, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Garrett had a strong connection to Eagles players after being around the team for years. He was at training camp with them helping with strength training.
"There wasn't a single guy who was a better person, day in and day out toward everybody on the team, wanted to see everybody succeed, genuinely wanted to see the team win," said Eagles center Jason Kelce about Garrett. "He was awesome, every single day for us."
After 14 years in Philadelphia, Reid might have more coaching friends throughout the NFL than any coach in the league. Even coaches who haven't worked directly with Reid uniformly love and respect him as a man. According to The Times-Picayune, Bill Belichick is traveling to the funeral on the private plane of New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, who will also carry Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and Saints interim head coach Joe Vitt to the funeral. (The Saints and New England Patriots are practicing together this week.)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goddell also is in attendance, and NFL Network's Kimberly Jones reported that Cleveland Browns coach Pat Shurmur and Browns offensive coordinator Brad Childress are there, as well.
Reid released a statement Monday that strongly indicated his son had lost an eight-year battle with drug abuse.
"On behalf of Tammy and our family, I would like to thank everybody for their tremendous support, love, kind words and prayers during this time of great sadness. Words cannot express our sense of loss.
"We loved Garrett so much. He was a wonderful son and brother. He made us laugh, he was a pleasure to be around, he always had a smile on his face, and we will miss him dearly. We will never forget him, and we will remember him with love.
"Garrett's road through life was not always an easy one. He faced tremendous personal challenges with bravery and spirit," Reid said. "As a family, we stood by him and were inspired as he worked to overcome those challenges. Even though he lost the battle that has been ongoing for the last eight years, we will always remember him as a fighter who had a huge, loving heart."
The Reid family asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Laurel House, a domestic violence shelter. The agency has a strong connection to the Reid family.
