What does a sports website do when offspring of an NFL coach make news?
That's the question popping up all over the Garrett Reid story on our NFL page.
To quickly recap, Garrett Reid is the son of Eagles coach Andy Reid. He was serving time in a county jail for a heroin-fueled car crash that injured a motorist. However, it was recently discovered he smuggled 89 prescription pills into the jail. He now serves time in a state 
prison, where he could reside for the next two years.
Garrett has admitted to having a drug problem and if he isn't already, is heading quickly toward train-wreck status. He's 25 years old and not employed by any sporting league or team.
So why is this news to us?
Let's start with, well, maybe it's not. Maybe it's just local Philly-area news. Adult son of high-profile community member is in serious trouble. That has metro/city section of your newspaper website written all over it.
So why are we publishing it? Well, the AP, our wire service felt it had enough of an NFL connection. But we're more than just a regurgitated wire service. There is also the Leitchian logic of Leinart, which essentially goes: any news correlated to high-profile public figures, no matter the nature, is news because it could affect their work-related performance. Would a mainstream technology publication publish a similar story about a child of Steve Jobs or Bill Gates? Probably, because you want to know how important, high-profile people react to events in their personal lives and how it may affect their working lives. Plus, you may have a financial stake to lose or gain. And in sports, there are also financial stakes to be gained or loss (season tickets) plus the emotional stakes sports franchises makes millions on.
Also, this is part of a larger narrative we've been following: how a coach juggles family responsibility with the pressures of managing a football team. Our columnists have investigated the connection, and this latest development will at some point be weaved in to the larger narrative.
This is news, albeit, not pleasant news. And while we want to appreciate privacy, high-profile public people are treated to a different standard. It's something they're aware of when they enter the fray, and hopefully something they, and their families can manage. But when the wheels come off, we tend to always report it. If we didn't, if we chose our spots with more discretion, then we'd lose our credibility and we could be seen as playing favorites to certain franchises or leagues.
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Klick of the Day
Twenty-nine seconds of 
pure A.C. Slater bliss. (YouTube)
