Andy Reid to face the press, will discuss family issues

Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid will finally talk about his troubled sons at his weekly press conference today at the NovaCare Complex.

Prompted by yesterday's announcement that Reid and his wife, Tammy, gave an exclusive interview to Philadelphia Magazine, the coach will elaborate on the magazine article, which hits newsstands Wednesday, according to an Eagles spokesman.

"I imagine it's not going to be as extensive as [the magazine piece], but he is going to discuss why he did it," Eagles spokesman Derek Boyko said.

According to the magazine's Web site, the Reid's discuss Garrett's addiction to drugs and how the family copes with the intense media attention.

The magazine posted excerpts from the interview on its Web site today.

Both Garrett, 24, and Britt, 22, have battled drug addiction and been sentenced to 23-month jail terms stemming from Britt's road-rage case and Garrett's heroin-fueled, high-speed crash. Garrett is expected to face more charges for smuggling pills into the Montgomery County prison.

Reid said the couple decided to give the interview about their family's situation in hopes of helping others.

"We decided that it was important to share some of our family's story," the coach said in a statement released by the Eagles yesterday. "Because of open legal issues, there is still much we cannot discuss. The story is long and complex, and we felt that a magazine was the best format to tell such a story."

Reid also told the magazine that he wants to remain with the team "as long as I can do my job to the best of my ability."

Andy and Tammy Reid had said nothing publicly about their family's struggles with addiction until they were interviewed by Philadelphia features editor Robert Huber. The magazine, on its website this morning, said the Reids were limited in what they could discuss because of possible upcoming legal action; their lawyer, Paul Rosen, was present for the interview.

Huber spoke with the Reids at their Main Line home for two hours.

Garrett Reid, now 23, was alone in Arizona for a time in 2006.

Of this period in his son's life Andy Reid said: "We were out of touch with him. I was, for sure. He called home only a handful of times. And never to me. It just fell apart. In Arizona, he was living out of his car. He finally called me and was very distraught, and I called Tam to have her check on him.

Tammy Reid told the magazine: "I said, Garrett, if you could have any wish in the world, what would it be? He was crying and said, I wish I'd never done drugs, and could come home and start over. I got my sister to give him $500 in cash, and he drove home in three days.

Andy Reid also spoke about his future with the Eagles and, while dealing with his sons' problems, how close was he to resigning then and now.

"We've dealt with Garrett's situation for a long time, and we've done it through Super Bowls and championships. And it's new to a lot of people, but it's not new to us," Reid told the magazine. "As long as Jeffrey Lurie will have me, and as long as I can do my job to the best of my ability, I would love to be an Eagle."

Tammy Reid added, "Plus we do have house payments, he does need to have a job. Any other dad, any other man who has things going on in his family, has not had it questioned whether he's going to retire or step down from his job. The CEO of any major company, it would never be in question."

Andy Reid also spoke about control over a team and the lack of control when dealing with addiction.

"In a game, once the whistle blows, and you're playing the game, now the human element is there, and it's how you've trained them. Some days they are going to throw an interception or miss a tackle. You didn't train them that way. But you live with it, and you keep on teaching them. That's why we're here, we're here to be teachers. And so you do the same thing at home, you teach them and then let them go. You blow the whistle and let them play. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't.