Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid stepped to the podium Wednesday for an impossible press conference, just one day after the funeral for his son, Garrett Reid.
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For the 17 minutes that followed, Reid showed why so many are so loyal to him. His composure, dignity, strength and love for his family shined through. During a week of such pain, Reid showed gratitude.
"I am a humble man standing before you -- very humble man," Reid said. "I'm humble because of the outpouring, not only from the media but from our football team, from our fans. It was unbelievable. It was unbelievable."
Reid returned to the Eagles on Wednesday because he "felt it" in his heart. His family's support helped pushed him there. Most importantly, he said that he knew Garrett would want it that way.
"Garrett cared a lot about people," Reid said. "He's always been that way since he was a kid. If there was a kid with a problem he was always putting his arm around that kid and taking care of them. He cared about people. He just got caught up in a bad situation, just a terrible situation that affects a lot of people in this country. It's like fighting a grizzly bear, it's hard to win. It's hard to win."
Reid repeatedly said he didn't have enough words to express his thanks for the outpouring of support he received, especially on Tuesday.
"I saw strength," Reid said. "I felt the strength yesterday. I felt strength with our team yesterday."
Strength was the word that came to mind watching Reid. It was hard to watch him and not come away feeling empathy, feeling like I learned a lot about the man just by watching how he handled a news conference when there are no right answers.
