Andy & Tammy Reid Talk About Their Sons' Drug Problems For The First Time

It's pretty much an ongoing joke in Philadelphia that Andy Reid's press conferences are about as interesting and enlightening as watching paint dry. The man is infamous for being guarded while letting the media and the viewing public get to know very little of what really goes on in the head coach's mind -- even more so when it came to discussing his two sons. His family was completely out of bounds.

Now, for the first time ever, Andy Reid and his wife Tammy have decided to open up and talk about the troubles their two sons, Britt and Garrett, have gone through for the past few years. Philadelphia Magazine has the exclusive cover story that is set to hit newsstands next Wednesday. They have a preview of the piece on their website today.

Here is Andy's response to the question of how close he's ever come to leaving the Eagles and whether that's something he still thinks about:

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. 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.

Reading about Andy wanting to remain with the Eagles is nothing new to Philly fans. But hearing about how serious their sons problems were is another story.
During a particularly tough time in 2006, he reached out to his parents.

Andy: 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: 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.

When he got home, Garrett had lost almost 100 pounds.

And finally, Andy on the power of drugs:

We are a close family, but the drugs, they don't care about that. If you just happen to get hooked up with the right one, it possesses you, and nothing else matters."