There has been a running joke for some time about the robotic and often rather hollow statements made by Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett. In the wake of the death of Jerry Brown Jr. and the arrest of Josh Brent, Garrett showed a different side in his remarks about the event. A video and transcript of his remarks are available here.
A little of what he said:
It was really, really challenging, so somehow, some way we had to come together all of us, 11 guys, coaches, players, everybody. We had come together and the bonds that we had as teammates had to get stronger. They were really strong for Jerry Brown. And I think everybody was really, really, really heartbroken. A young man who had everything ahead of him. We're going to do everything we can to support his family.
It impressed several of the writers, who are at times a rather cynical bunch.
RT @timcowlishaw Post-game press conference was Jason Garrett's finest moment as Cowboys head coach.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) December 10, 2012
Team owner Jerry Jones also spoke about the tragedy. He said, among other things, that he has thought about what he might have done to prevent it. And he also expressed his understanding of the magnitude of things.
"I'm just, was just completely taken aback by the entire accident and just completely focused on the tragedy for two people and two family's lives that were impacted," Jones said. "Obviously the more serious nature of Jerry and losing his life and the impact it has on his family, but it's so mind-boggling to think that two lives could be impacted under those circumstances."
Among the players themselves, no one has had a more wrenching experience than Brandon Carr. He found about Brown's loss in a phone call, because he was not on the team plane. He was in Kansas City, attending a memorial service for Kasandra Perkins, who was murdered by Carr's former teammate Jovan Belcher before he killed himself.
"I wasn't expecting it," Carr said after playing in the Cowboys' 20-19 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. "I didn't believe it so I called him back again and said, ‘What did you just say to me?'
"It falls back to take advantage of the time you have and love harder than you've ever loved because you never know when, where, how, whatever. When your time is up, there's no getting it back. That's why every day you live it to the fullest and you just take advantage of every chance you get."