Reid: I'm taking Bradley's injury home with me
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Reid: I'm taking Bradley's injury home with me
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- To get back at evil Eagles beat writers, coach Andy Reid declined to list the Eagles' injuries after today's practice at Lehigh, nor did he address the news that middle linebacker Stewart Bradley tore his anterior cruciate ligament.
Several media outlets, including this one, reported that Bradley is out for the season after an MRI this morning revealed a complete tear of the ACL. Reid was upset that a few reporters called Bradley on his cell phone.
"Some of your colleagues here decided that they would go to the players and/or other personnel here and ask about injuries," Reid said. "I made a pact with you guys when I first got here that I would disclose to you the injuries, just stay away from the players. Stay away from other personnel in the organization and I'd take care of you. That was breached."
WIP's Howard Eskin first reported the news. Andy's ire was apparently not directed toward the sports yakker.
Meanwhile, the players reacted to the loss of their starting middle linebacker.
"It's a major loss," said Donovan McNabb, who suffered an ACL tear three seasons ago.
Said outside linebacker Akeem Jordan: "He’s got to fight back, but we’re only one soldier down. It’s unexpected, but we have to fight back and come together."
Joe Mays ran with the first-team defense at today's practice. He is expected to vie for Bradley's spot with Omar Gaither. He said he knew of Bradley's injury before he walked out onto the field for today's practice.
"I would say there were a couple of butterflies," Mays said. "In a situation like this you always want to earn your job. You never want to have it given to you. ... But I'm ready."
Now a backup outside linebacker, Gaither started at middle linebacker for the entire 2007 season. He was demoted last season.
"I feel like I’m the best man for any job – it doesn’t matter what position," Gaither said. "If it opens for me or Joe you want to take advantage of it. You hate to see something like that happen to your teammate, but had the same thing happened to me or anybody else, whoever was behind me would look forward to taking advantage of the opportunity as well."
philly499: thanks for bringing a little sanity to the discussion— Michael J- To IGGLES1980, and Mike Z, and IdahoMoose etc... The media is here to serve us, the fans..not the Eagles, not anyone else that doesn't want the info to get out, but to us , the readers. If the info is particularly sensitive, they might withhold some of it as a courtesy, like they did for the last six months with Jim Johnson, but the media is obligated to us, not anyone else. In this case the person with the ACL tear was happy to give the media the info, so IGGLES1980, what principle are you referring to? I'm the first to admit, this coach has done a great job, probably the best in Eagles history, but I'm guessing that after ten years of pressers where he tells the media almost nothing, they're not dying to do him any favors. I do agree the "evil writers" thing was childish, but not much more childish than what Andy did today. Again, for such an accomplished front office, some of the things they get upset about are absurd. JonKap had it right, if he was so offended by it, he could have just reminded the media that he would rather report the info himself, then moved on.— drbob1
- You're going to depend on Reid to give you the cold hard facts? They've done their best to hide the Westbrook surgery/injury for the last six months.— mk1956
Comment removed.- WHO CARES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— fman727
- Andy as always did the right thing by his players. The last thing he wants is the media hounding his players and harassing them for info on each other. Andy is the voice of the team, and like it or not (and I'm guessing some of you don't) that's how it should be. Good job Big Red.— Zaknafein
- It is nice to see the article writer tell the complete truth by stating "evil Eagles beat writers" as a matter of fact. Because, as a matter of fact, that is true.— jimqk
- Reid is doing exactly the right thing -- sticking up for the players. Who wants to talk to some reporter on your personal cell phone the day you find out your season has been ended by injury? It's an invasion of privacy and the reporters should not have called. They're the ones in the wrong.— FKD215
- DrBob, Your view of the media is hopelessly naive. The media isn't obligated to us. The media is obligated to its advertisers and to the bottom line. Period. We (the public) are simply eyes that the media sells to advertisers. That's it.— FKD215
- fman727 is right...it doesn't matter, all that matters now is that we're short a MLB.— drbob1
- So Andy is upset that a group of reporters were doing their job in tryig to get information out to the public? What a pathetic loser! Maybe everyone in the media should stop covering the Eagles so Dave Spadaro and the Burger King guy can report only what the Eagles' want them to report? Hey Andy, this is America, the land of the free - we have a right to find out this information as soon as it becomes available, not at your pleasure! If you don't like it than get a new job that doesn't require you to answer to the public!!!— dankil13
- Comment removed.
- FKD: Here's how business works. If a paper doesn't sell because it's readership feels it doesn't do it's job, there's no money, advertisers walk away, and there's no bottom line. Does that sound naive? Frinkie, thanks for bringing sanity to the board.— drbob1
- Comment removed.
- "Nice going Andy! Your sorry display at not disclosing any injuries because the media learned of Bradley's ACL tear shows how immature you are." BINGO - what a freakin' baby. I guess this is the same stern discipline he applied to his sons.— Malcolm65
