Just hours after learning about the death of Garrett Reid, the son of their head coach, Philadelphia Eagles took to the practice field Sunday at Lehigh University. The training camp session began without Andy Reid, but with assistant coaches Marty Mornhinweg and Juan Castillo running the show and owner Jeffery Lurie addressing the media.
"Today is one of life's tough days. I think I'll just tell you a little bit of my conversations with Andy and my conversations with the team. Andy is, he's a rock solid man. I think what makes him a great coach is his combination of compassion, feeling and strength. Today, he exhibited it all. It's unimaginable the pain. We've all suffered; most of us have suffered tragedy in our lives. Losing a son is unimaginable, losing a child is unimaginable, the pain. Yet, he is rock solid."
Lurie mentioned that Reid is expected to miss a few days of practice but should be back before the Eagles' first preseason game, Thursday, Aug. 9, against the visiting Pittsburgh Steelers.
I think it's what makes him so dedicated. He loves his players. He loves his coaches. He feels so bad that he's even interfering with their success today, tomorrow. He knows they are in good hands with our coaches, but actually in this moment of terrible pain he's actually reaching out to all of us. You know that rock-solid guy who takes the bullets after games and all of that, but as I said to the players, 'You have to accept the grief and the tears and at the same time gather the strength and the desire to be excellent. Not just in football, but in life.
To read the complete transcript of Laurie's statement, head on over to SB Nation's Bleeding Green Nation.