Look, I admit it. We in the media circle stories about the troubled lives of public figures like a great white shark going after a lonely swimmer. When we smell blood, we don’t let go. But dear readers must also admit, while moaning about the sharks, they gobble up gossip like kids diving into a big bowl of ice cream. In the feeding frenzy surrounding Andy Reid’s kids, we all represent one of the worst aspects of tabloid society.
The coach is a particularly big target (no pun intended). He tolerates few character flaws in the players he drafts. In his celebrated showdown with Terrell Owens, the soon-to-be Cowboy was painted as Darth Vader to Reid’s Luke Skywalker. He doesn’t like profanity in the locker room. He reacted in horror to his first South Street visit and, soon thereafter, the site of his coaching show was switched to a venue inside the airport. His wife is known not to tolerate ‘R’ rated movies on the team bus. We have been told about the Reid family’s religious values and its disdain for tobacco, alcohol and even caffeine. So when a couple of the Reid boys are caught acting like the Dukes of Hazzard, it is natural for us to sit up and take notice.
Parents nod knowingly at one another because we all live with the fiction we can control our kids, even when they become young adults. We love to take credit when our kids do well and hate it when they disappoint us or, worse, disgrace us. But the truth is we have a lot less to do with whether our offspring succeeds or fails. In this instance, some folks point to Reid’s long hours at the office for why his sons have problems. It is our habit to look for simple reasons to explain complex problems.
The most puzzling aspect of this is a control freak like Andy Reid should have known what was going on right under his nose. Police say, not only were drug paraphernalia and weapons found in both sons’ cars, but a .45-caliber handgun and several rounds of bullets were discovered in the Reid home. Having seen the number of rules laid down by the coach when the Eagles moved into their NovaCare facility — from no loitering in the hallways to no sitting on the steps abutting the practice field — it’s hard to believe he didn’t know what was going on in his own house.
Many football fans have more important things on their minds concerning Reid’s family troubles. Talk-show callers wonder if Andy will delegate even more game-day decisions to his assistants. Will Andy’s problems cause him to be distracted on draft day? Will the turmoil cause him to gain more weight? Will this mean Brian Westbrook won’t get as many carries next season? And certainly Donovan McNabb has to be involved somewhere in all of this.
There are also Reid’s defenders like Channel 10’s Vai Sikahema, who pointed out during his sports report the Reids belong to his church, where the sons have always behaved like perfect gentlemen. In other words, the boys never took guns and drugs to church. The way this story is playing out, that’s a positive development.
The religious angle is heavily at work here. Folks say, "But they were good Mormons." Unless this religious group has suddenly begun recruiting bad drivers with drug problems, I don’t think these kids qualify as good Mormons. There’s an automatic assumption if you are a member of organized religion, you must be a good person. (For some reason many don’t include Muslims in that assessment.)
Law enforcement says neither Andy nor his sons have permits to carry firearms or have guns registered. But, if someone from the organization Ceasefire is to be believed, you need not register weapons in Pennsylvania so long as you keep it in the house. Is this the Vince Fumo Rule or are we allowed to revisit that one? One presumes the law requiring permits kicks in when you conceal a gun in your car or wave it in someone’s face during an argument.
Finally, there is the issue of favoritism. A WIP talk-show host actually asked a caller why possible favoritism toward the Reid boys is such a big issue. Maybe he should have asked, "If Andy’s sons were just players on his team, would he tolerate the same bad behavior?"
It’s shame he can’t put his sons on the waiver.
