Indeed, fust before the Jets were introduced in their home opener, the cornerback received some texts from his family that his father had passed away after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. Reed broke down and cried during the national anthem.
The Jets lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 24-9, but the 25-year-old was one of the bright spots. He didn't allow a receiver to catch a ball on him and made an acrobatic interception late in the game. Reed caught some flak on social media for the manner in which he responded -- he knelt on the NFL logo at midfield, raised both arms and looked to the sky -- but this wasn't a "me" guy celebrating in a blowout loss. It was for his father, as he revealed after the game.
"I honestly forgot about the score," he said. "I don't want to say I didn't care, because I care about winning, but it was deeper than football when I got the interception. I wanted to pay tribute to my dad."
That will continue.
"This season is for my dad," he said.
Here is a clip explaining the situation. What a strong man Reed is.