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NFL column: Reid Having A Tough Time On And Off Field

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Ira Kaufman/The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 11, 2007

Everywhere he turns, Andy Reid is dealing with a "family in crisis."

That's the harsh phrase used by a Pennsylvania judge earlier this month to describe conditions in the home of Andy and Tammy Reid and their five children.

Two of the kids, 24-year-old Garrett and Britt, 22, are facing up to 23 months in prison for assorted drug and weapons offenses.

Every Dr. Phil wanna-be is offering an opinion about Reid's domestic situation after Judge Steven T. O'Neill labeled the house a "drug emporium," as the Eagles coach and his wife sat in stony silence.

And after averaging 10 wins a year during his first eight seasons in Philadelphia, Reid finds little respite at the club's training facility.

The Eagles are 3-5 heading into the nation's capital today and it's not a stretch to suggest their season would effectively end with a loss to the Redskins.

Except for some Eagles players offering support, Reid isn't finding much brotherly love coming his way during his darkest hour.

"He has done everything he could," Philadelphia cornerback Sheldon Brown said. "He went out, worked his butt off to make sure he made a good life for his family. It's up to the kids to learn from it. At the end of the day, each individual makes his own decision and has to be held accountable for his own actions."

For every Sheldon Brown, there seems to be dozens of observers arguing Reid is abandoning his family responsibilities by staying on as head coach.

Typically, Reid won't allow any trespasser into the visitor's parking to share his inner torment.

Bravo.

We don't need teary confessionals from Andy Reid. That's what "Oprah" is for.

Andy Reid doesn't owe anyone a public apology and we are foolish to think we know exactly what's going on inside the Reid household, where 15-year-old Spencer and his sisters, Crosby, 19, and 17-year-old Drew Ann, are now likely to face daily scrutiny from the tabloids.

Who are we to give Andy Reid advice on parenting?

Fathers do their best with their kids and then hope to avoid the worst - a 3:45 a.m. phone call from a state trooper that can't possibly bring good news.

"This has been a battle that we've dealt with here for a few years," said Reid, offering a rare public comment on a deeply personal issue. "Our prayers are obviously with the boys for their future and to make sure things work out where they could live a normal life down the road."

Every time an NFL coach's kid gets in trouble, we hear the same hackneyed remarks about absentee fathers sleeping on couches in the office.

Andy Reid took five weeks off last spring to try to gain some control over the household. Things didn't work out and two grown men are now facing time behind bars.

The blame game is easy and so very seductive - Reid should take a leave of absence. Reid should quit immediately. Reid needs to be a real father to the three youngest kids.

The only thing we know for certain is that Andy and Tammy Reid are in pain.

They're not planning an appearance on "Montel" or the next Barbara Walters special to discuss what went awry, while soft lighting sets a forgiving mood.

It's their problem and they will deal with it as a family.

And let's be thankful NFL commissioner Roger Goodell didn't allow himself to be swayed by pundits with the audacity to suggest Reid should face league sanctions for the transgressions of two grown children.

If the Eagles fall to 3-6 today, it won't be because Andy Reid has become a distraction.

He won't make a single block or tackle at FedEx Field, where redemption for Reid's second family is only 60 minutes away.

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