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By Bob Brookover
Inquirer Staff Writer
Coach Andy Reid is going to be out of sight, but still very much involved in the Eagles' decision-making for the next month as he deals with the serious family matters that came to light Jan. 30 when his two eldest sons were involved in separate road-related incidents that police say included drugs and guns.
The Eagles put out a release early yesterday saying: "Reid will take a leave of absence from his duties as head coach and executive vice president of football operations in order to tend to personal matters involving his family." The release said that the leave of absence would last until mid-March.
At a news conference later in the day, Eagles president Joe Banner said that Reid would "continue to be available... and he will retain final say over whatever we do." Banner said the term leave of absence was "probably a little bit of a misnomer."
"He's not going to come into the office," Banner said. "His priorities will be his family for that period of time. But he will be available to have a couple of calls with us... and as I said, make the final decision on what we do or don't do in free agency."
Reid was not available for comment yesterday. His first public appearance since the incidents involving his sons could be next month at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. Banner said that Reid plans to attend those meetings, which are scheduled from March 25 to 28.
Britt Reid, 21, faces legal proceedings stemming from a Jan. 30 road-related incident. He was charged a week ago today with a long list of drug and gun offenses by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office after what a police report described as a road-rage incident in West Conshohocken. Among other things, he was accused of pointing a handgun at another driver and with carrying a firearm without a license, a third-degree felony under Pennsylvania law. Authorities said a search of the SUV driven by Britt Reid also turned up small quantities of marijuana, cocaine and the prescription painkiller oxycodone.
That same day, Garrett Reid, 23, was involved in a traffic accident in Plymouth Township and admitted to using heroin to police, according to a search-warrant affidavit. Charges have not been filed against Garrett Reid.
Obviously, the Reid family has some serious issues to resolve, and yesterday's developments make it clear that the patriarch with the ultra-demanding job of being an NFL head coach wants to be a major part of the process.
"It was pretty much a 'whatever you need' [situation]," Banner said. "We obviously had some discussions about how to announce it and that kind of stuff, but we pretty much said to Andy, 'Listen, we know you and we know what your priorities are and we're here to support you. Let us know what you need and we'll be there.' "
Banner declined to reveal any specifics about Reid's state of mind. At the time of the incidents, Reid and his wife, Tammy, were vacationing in Southern California.
"It's challenging, and he's a very caring, loving guy," Banner said. "We're hoping that everybody that is directly or indirectly affected by this comes through the thing and everybody is fine at the end."
What will be different about Reid's situation for the next month or so is that the head coach will not be visible at the Eagles' NovaCare Complex headquarters. He also will be absent from the NFL's scouting combine next week in Indianapolis.
"Andy's main function at the combine is the interviewing of players," Banner said. "But a lot of that is done by assistant coaches and scouts. If there are players there that he would have otherwise interviewed, we will be able to make arrangements for him to interview them under other circumstances."
Likewise, Banner said Reid could be available to meet with free agents when they visit Philadelphia. The free-agent signing period begins March 2, and Banner said the Eagles have already mapped out a plan of how they want to deal with both their own free agents and those they might be interested from other teams.
"There are really two parts to free agency," Banner said. "One is the process of deciding what you want to do with your own guys, and the other is what you're going to do in the market of available players from other teams.
"Before any of this happened, we had finalized our own plans as to what we're going to do and not do with our own guys and we'd been working on that for a while. We'd also put together our preliminary plan for the non-Eagle players that we could be interested in. From a timing perspective, from a pure football perspective, this is a time that is easier to deal with."
From a personal standpoint, of course, there's no good time to deal with the problems being confronted by the Eagles' head coach and his family.
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Inquirer Staff Writer
Coach Andy Reid is going to be out of sight, but still very much involved in the Eagles' decision-making for the next month as he deals with the serious family matters that came to light Jan. 30 when his two eldest sons were involved in separate road-related incidents that police say included drugs and guns.
The Eagles put out a release early yesterday saying: "Reid will take a leave of absence from his duties as head coach and executive vice president of football operations in order to tend to personal matters involving his family." The release said that the leave of absence would last until mid-March.
At a news conference later in the day, Eagles president Joe Banner said that Reid would "continue to be available... and he will retain final say over whatever we do." Banner said the term leave of absence was "probably a little bit of a misnomer."
"He's not going to come into the office," Banner said. "His priorities will be his family for that period of time. But he will be available to have a couple of calls with us... and as I said, make the final decision on what we do or don't do in free agency."
Reid was not available for comment yesterday. His first public appearance since the incidents involving his sons could be next month at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix. Banner said that Reid plans to attend those meetings, which are scheduled from March 25 to 28.
Britt Reid, 21, faces legal proceedings stemming from a Jan. 30 road-related incident. He was charged a week ago today with a long list of drug and gun offenses by the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office after what a police report described as a road-rage incident in West Conshohocken. Among other things, he was accused of pointing a handgun at another driver and with carrying a firearm without a license, a third-degree felony under Pennsylvania law. Authorities said a search of the SUV driven by Britt Reid also turned up small quantities of marijuana, cocaine and the prescription painkiller oxycodone.
That same day, Garrett Reid, 23, was involved in a traffic accident in Plymouth Township and admitted to using heroin to police, according to a search-warrant affidavit. Charges have not been filed against Garrett Reid.
Obviously, the Reid family has some serious issues to resolve, and yesterday's developments make it clear that the patriarch with the ultra-demanding job of being an NFL head coach wants to be a major part of the process.
"It was pretty much a 'whatever you need' [situation]," Banner said. "We obviously had some discussions about how to announce it and that kind of stuff, but we pretty much said to Andy, 'Listen, we know you and we know what your priorities are and we're here to support you. Let us know what you need and we'll be there.' "
Banner declined to reveal any specifics about Reid's state of mind. At the time of the incidents, Reid and his wife, Tammy, were vacationing in Southern California.
"It's challenging, and he's a very caring, loving guy," Banner said. "We're hoping that everybody that is directly or indirectly affected by this comes through the thing and everybody is fine at the end."
What will be different about Reid's situation for the next month or so is that the head coach will not be visible at the Eagles' NovaCare Complex headquarters. He also will be absent from the NFL's scouting combine next week in Indianapolis.
"Andy's main function at the combine is the interviewing of players," Banner said. "But a lot of that is done by assistant coaches and scouts. If there are players there that he would have otherwise interviewed, we will be able to make arrangements for him to interview them under other circumstances."
Likewise, Banner said Reid could be available to meet with free agents when they visit Philadelphia. The free-agent signing period begins March 2, and Banner said the Eagles have already mapped out a plan of how they want to deal with both their own free agents and those they might be interested from other teams.
"There are really two parts to free agency," Banner said. "One is the process of deciding what you want to do with your own guys, and the other is what you're going to do in the market of available players from other teams.
"Before any of this happened, we had finalized our own plans as to what we're going to do and not do with our own guys and we'd been working on that for a while. We'd also put together our preliminary plan for the non-Eagle players that we could be interested in. From a timing perspective, from a pure football perspective, this is a time that is easier to deal with."
From a personal standpoint, of course, there's no good time to deal with the problems being confronted by the Eagles' head coach and his family.
LINK