Total Pro Sports
It’s true that few scars never fade, even when the trophies keep piling up. Andy Reid has lifted three Lombardi Trophies, won more than 270 games, and guided Kansas City to seven straight AFC Championship appearances. Yet every August, when football gears up again, Reid and his family feel a pain that no win can erase.
The Kansas City coach recently showed his softer side in ESPN’s six-part series The Kingdom. Cameras captured Reid in rare, vulnerable moments.
As the episodes unfolded, viewers saw what many already knew. Andy Reid was crying on camera in the show’s trailer as it revisited the darkest chapter of his life.
Back in 2012, tragedy struck Reid’s family. His son Garrett, who was working on Philadelphia’s staff during training camp, died in his dorm room. Authorities confirmed that he lost his battle with addiction after an accidental overdose.
NFL analyst Louis Riddick, who worked for the Eagles then, shared his own memory of Garrett in The Kingdom. “I had just seen Garrett the day before,” Riddick said. “He was trying to get his life in order and was living across the hall from his dad. Those demons got him. Simple as that.”
The Reid family issued a statement after the autopsy, saying they had braced for the worst but never stopped respecting Garrett’s courage. “He will always have our family’s love,” the statement read. “We take comfort in our faith and know he’s in a better place.”
That loss shaped Reid’s path forward. He finished the 2012 season in Philadelphia before moving on to Kansas City. From there, he built the Chiefs into a dynasty. Yet every new season brings reminders of Garrett’s absence.
Reid never hides the grief. He admits it follows him daily. The Chiefs’ quest for another title will open this fall in Brazil against the Chargers, but even in the excitement of kickoff, Reid carries the weight of what he lost.
Kansas City was disappointed last February when the Eagles won Super Bowl 59. Now, as the Chiefs regroup, Reid finds himself balancing football’s highs with family heartbreak. That same emotional strain surfaced again this offseason when reports noted Reid was heartbroken after Deon Bush’s injury.
Football fans see the coach, the play-caller, the leader of champions. But inside, Reid remains a father who still misses his son. For him, the toughest battle never ends.
