Garrett Reid, 29, son of Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, was found dead Sunday morning in a dormitory at Lehigh University, where the team’s training camp is being held.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the Reid family during this difficult time,” the school said in a statement.
Following coach Andy Reid’s absence at the start of today’s Eagles walkthrough practice due to a “personal issue,” General Manager Howie Roseman addressed reporters at a press conference. “I have some heartbreaking news to share with you all,” he said. “It is with great sadness that I tell you that Garrett Reid, the oldest son of Coach [Andy] Reid, was found dead this morning in his room here at training camp. This is a tough morning for all of us in the Eagles family. Garrett grew up with this team and this makes this news even harder for us to process. … Coach has spent the morning informing his family. We ask sincerely that you respect the family’s privacy during this time.”
Lehigh University Police Chief Edward Shupp said officers received a call around 7:20 a.m. that there was an unresponsive man at the school’s Sayre Pack dormitories. “The individual, Garrett Reid, was
deceased upon the officer’s arrival,” Shupp said. “There were no suspicious
activities.”
Northampton County Coroner Zachary Lysek pronounced Reid dead at the scene and said that a full investigation is ongoing.
Roseman said that camp will continue as planned. “From a football perspective, I can tell you that Andy has asked that we go forward with training camp,” he said. “… On a personal note, we’ve been with Andy for a long time. He’s always been strong for us. We’re going to be strong for him right now. As a father and a friend, we’re all hurting.”
Garrett Reid has struggled with addiction in the past – he was found to be under the influence of heroin during a car accident in January of 2007 and was then sentenced to nearly two years in jail after failing a random drug test. He was later accused of smuggling prescription pills into the prison and was again jailed in 2009 after failing a halfway house drug test.
There is no word yet on the cause of the young man’s death.
