Michael Smerconish | UNFAIR SPOTLIGHT ON THE REID BOYS

August 30, 2007

ANDY REID is an A-list local celebrity. Constant coverage comes with being the coach of the most closely followed sports franchise in this major media market.

Not only will his play selection, player relationships and league standing be fair game, but so too will his tipping habits, Kenny Chesney seat location and vacation spot.

Reid voluntarily injected himself into the public fishbowl the moment he agreed to coach the Eagles. But that willingness to undergo a 24/7 proctological exam doesn't extend to his children. They never chose to endure any of this scrutiny, which is why it's disgraceful that coverage of their recent travails doesn't distinguish between father and sons.

The troubles of the sons have media relevance to the father, and make them fair game, if and only if his coaching is affected. That happened before, when Reid took a leave of absence to deal with it.

But in the meantime, the sons should be treated the same as anyone else in a similar predicament. The question is, is their behavior newsworthy? Yes, but surely it doesn't warrant the top of the newscast, front page and incessant talk-radio reporting it's receiving. Particularly in a city with close to 300 homicides, where those on the receiving end of a bullet are themselves only one-day stories.

I'm not saying the news should be swept under the rug. On Jan. 30, when Andy's older son, Garrett, was in a car accident in Plymouth Township that seriously injured the driver of another vehicle, it warranted coverage. Especially because Garrett has since pleaded guilty to drug and traffic charges stemming from the accident. The same goes for brother Britt, who on that same day in a separate incident was apparently involved in a case of road rage in which drugs were involved.

But covering these troubles in the press does not justify what happened last week when Britt drove into a shopping cart outside a Dick's Sporting Goods store in Plymouth Township and then failed a sobriety test. Locally, the world stood still.

It was the same day that the media learned that a helicopter had crashed in Iraq the day before, resulting in the deaths of 14 U.S. troops, and that a National Intelligence Estimate described a grim political situation in

Iraq in which the elected leaders there are failing to take advantage of recent security gains by U.S. and Iraqi military forces.

Meanwhile, thousands were forced out of their homes as a result of heavy rains that flooded the upper Midwest. At least 17 people died as a result of the storms, which Ohio's governor called a "major, major disaster."

But in Philadelphia, the TV, radio and print outlets had everyone worked into a lather playing Dr. Phil and sticking their noses into Andy Reid's business.

And it's not just Andy Reid. I believed, and said, the same thing about Al Gore when his son had issues driving recently. Ditto for John Timoney and his boy. There is nothing newsworthy about the sons except the fame of their fathers. Nothing but schadenfreude - delight in the misfortunes of others - fuels this coverage.

What should mitigate against that is the fact that Andy Reid is a class act. In an era of diminished sports heroes, at a time when football is being rocked by dogfighting, baseball by steroids and basketball by corrupt officiating, let's be thankful for what we have: a straight shooter who has some issues under his roof, just like everyone else.

Get killed in Philadelphia, you may make the headlines once. But if you're Andy Reid's son and you crash into a shopping cart, you lead the news. Go figure. *

Listen to Michael Smerconish weekdays 5:30-9 a.m. on the Big Talker, 1210/AM. Read him Sundays in the Inquirer. Contact him via the Web at www.mastalk.com.