Should Andy Reid Take a Leave of Absence?

                As a die-hard Eagles fan, a life-long sports enthusiast and a dedicated family man, I feel well-qualified to comment on the situation facing Eagles head coach, Andy Reid, and his decision whether or not to take time off from his professional responsibilities to deal with family matters.  So, here is my answer to that question:

I DON’T KNOW

                I am not saying that I am unsure.  I am not saying that I need to do more research or think more about this issue.  What I am saying is that there is no way that I can know, or even venture an opinion, on what another man should do regarding his own private family situations.  Unfortunately, nothing in this modern celebrity-crazed, news-hungry world is private for sports figures, Hollywood personalities or others in the public eye.  I am not the first to raise this issue, nor will I be the last, and Reid’s situation is not unlike hundreds before him or hundreds yet to come.  But, as an Eagles fan and devout family man, this one struck me harder than most.  It got me thinking more about today’s media culture.

                A major downside of worldwide news saturation is the complete concession of any privacy that celebrities must go through.  There are a few (Matt Damon) that are relatively successful in keeping a semi-private life “off-stage,” but it is not trivial—and, in many ways, not possible.  Such is the case for troubled Eagles coach Andy Reid.  He has never before been seen in any negative light, outside of “clock management,” which, when put in perspective of drugs and jail time, is rendered all but meaningless.  Reid has been a good coach and, more importantly, a good citizen for as long as I have been following his life, so maybe he deserves a break from the public commentary.  Unfortunately, this is a break that the competitive media cannot afford to give.

                Admittedly, the 24-hour news culture has some incredible upsides, for many of which I am very grateful.  I can find scores of any team in any sport within minutes of their games’ completion.  I remember as a kid going to McGonigal Hall to see my beloved Temple Owls, only to find out—5 minutes into the game—that starting point guard Rick Brunson was not on the floor.  And, the worst part was that most of us in the arena had no idea why.  In fact, we did not find out that it was only a mild ankle sprain until a couple games later, when he was right back in the lineup.  Temple just did not have enough of a following to warrant daily news coverage.  Today, putting our progress in perspective, it just took me about 90 seconds to find out that Montell Watson, a 6’1” guard for Elon University, in Elon, NC, was granted a medical redshirt after a foot injury last year and will be back this season as a 5^th year senior to try and get the Phoenix back to .500 in the Southern Conference.  In my opinion, these upsides far outnumber the negatives that go along with them, but the negatives do exist and sometimes they are hurtful.

                Everyone seems to have an opinion on what they would do were they to find themselves in Reid’s position.  As a matter of fact, I certainly have my opinions on what I would do.  However, it seems as if there is a lost distinction between opinions on “what I would do” and opinions on “what Andy should do.”  Every situation is different; every human being is different.  And, there is really no way to know how we would handle ourselves given differing circumstances.  As great as the thought may be, it really is not possible to put yourself in Andy Reid’s place and decide what you would do.  The only thing that we, the public, can do in a positive manner is to support our coach and whatever he decides is best for the Eagles, his family and himself—a support which he has earned through actions, not through touchdowns or playoff wins.  Sometimes—on very rare occasions—the human beings that determine the scores may actually be more important than the scores themselves.