Meanwhile, we have the story of Britt and Garrett Reid, Philadelphia Eagle's coach Andy Reid's two sons, both of whom were sentenced this week on numerous charges. Garrett is the elder son, the one who tried to smuggle 89 pills into jail, up his ass. He also confessed to being a coke dealer for 5 years and enjoyed being "the rich kid" who sold drugs to people in the hood. He bragged about selling coke and Oxy to poor kids and their parents, and now could face additional charges for smuggling in contraband.
Again, while this has been spun in a humorous light at its first break, this is about as tragic a story as I can fathom. Addiction is something that really fucks with my head, my own addictions included. Drug use, in my own eyes, is about as selfish an act as there is, something so singularly absorbed that it creates an environment where there is nothing more important than you getting yours. I don't use hard drugs, but who hasn't had that twinge where you flip out because you dont have tobacco or caffeine in your system? Addictions come across all facets of life, not just drug use, and it's a hard situation to deal with regardless of the circumstances.
For some reason, drug addicts are viewed with malice then, eventually sympathy. There is no excuse for Garrett Reid's behavior. There was no reason for him to sell drugs. Some people in an urban setting have almost no choices but to sell drugs, just to get their family food on the table. Garrett Reid is a privaleged member of society, who lived in the posh Villanova section of Philly. He was selling drugs for his own ego, to fuel his own addictions, and to gain a sense of power, to separate himself from his father's shadow. He was enabled by his situation and sought to gain a rush from doing something illicit. Are these his exact thoughts? No, it's what I gathered from hearing him say shit like, "I liked being the rich kid in that area. I could go anyplace in the 'hood. They all knew who I was. I liked being a drug dealer. . . . These kids were scared of me, I was even selling to their parents."
Yet, I have sympathy towards his situation. He missed his drug test, and did not fail the test administered upon his entry into jail. He says he's sorry and he wants to clean up his act. Addiction is a fucked up thing, and sometimes, no matter how much someone wants to stop, they physically can't. I hope he gets his shit straightened out while in the clink, for his own sake.
The only reason I'm even talking about this is because of Andy Reid and the fact he's an NFL head coach. But, I don't see how there is any debate. Most likely the Reid's have enough money where they can live comfortably for the rest of their lives, the job is not necessary. The NFL isn't the do-or-die battlefield that everyone presents it to be. It's entertainment, that's it. Nobody will get killed if you step down, Andy, nobody will lose their jobs, nobody will suffer. Everyone in the NFL is well-paid and, if you stepped away, your coaching staff would no doubt find jobs somewhere else.
Your family is fucked Andy. FUCKED. Your sons are going to jail for 2 years each, and in Garrett's case, maybe more. Both your children are drug-addicts, Garrett admitted to selling for 5 years, who knows how long he was using before. You're a noted workaholic, who got to the NovaCare facility at ungodly early hours to start working. I'm sure you put in your fair share of 100 hour work weeks, and you were constantly travelling. Do you realize what effect that had on your family? Were you even aware of what was going on? Dude, you're sons were fucked to the brim with junk, and whether you knowingly did or not, their situatio in life enabled them to take their behavior to awful heights.
We all had rich-kid friends growing up, you know the type, the kid who's dad was a doctor or a lawyer who didn't get punished for shit, so he always partied harder and harder than everyone else. Then you talk to them a year after you split ways, and he's a fucking drunk dickhead who's 40 lbs. overweight yet still parties like it's going out of style. Again, I'm not saying this is what the Reid kids were acting like, but it sure sounds like it.
Andy, the NFL is not your life. You will be remembered for being a very-good NFL coach and master of the West Coast offense (and never having a running game, and being a shitty clock manager). But if you step away now, you can help out your family far more than providing a gameplan to appease some retarded Philly fans. There are things more important than football, and the wellbeing of your sons is one of them. Not that you're going to read this anyways, but dude, for the benefit of your sons and yourself, get out of football, clean up your family and get shit right, you can find a job later, I'm sure someone will hire you. But right now, you're fucked.
OK, I'm done with my little sermon, I'm getting off the high horse...and yes, I realize there is a box of donuts in Andy's hand in that picture.
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