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NFL Hard Count: Issue #1 – Thursday games and Terry Glenn passes

By David Harrison

7 Oct 1995: Flanker Terry Glenn of the Ohio State Buckeyes lines up during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Ohio State won the game 28-25. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport
7 Oct 1995: Flanker Terry Glenn of the Ohio State Buckeyes lines up during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. Ohio State won the game 28-25. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger /Allsport /
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IRVING, TX – JANUARY 13: Terry Glenn #83 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts during the final moments of the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the New York Giants at Texas Stadium on January 13, 2008 in Irving, Texas. The Giants defeated the Cowboys 21-17. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
IRVING, TX – JANUARY 13: Terry Glenn #83 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts during the final moments of the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the New York Giants at Texas Stadium on January 13, 2008 in Irving, Texas. The Giants defeated the Cowboys 21-17. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /

TERRY GLENN

It’s hard sometimes to remember football is a game. Players are human beings. We see this every week when fans take to social media to chastise someone for not catching a touchdown which would have won them a fantasy football game.

Or in the offseason when a player posts photos of a family vacation just to get criticized for not working out or studying enough.

Some moments though, demand we recognize this is a human experience, and a very real one.

On November 20, 2017, Terry Glenn passed away in the early hours of the day when his vehicle rolled over and he was ejected. His fiancé was with him, and she was injured as well.

A friend of mine sent me a media publishing about it, and I was immediately sad. I thought back to the 90s when I first met Glenn, through my TV screen, as a member of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

My father grew up outside of Columbus, so as you can imagine, I’ve been raised in the basking glow of Scarlet and Gray.

Glenn was one of my favorite players. When he entered the league, he was a guy I followed through each stop in his twelve-year career. He didn’t reach the heights in his pro career I’d hoped he would, but back then, every Buckeye was a future Hall of Famer if you asked me then.

Nobody is pretending Glenn was a saint. He wasn’t. But it’s important to remember there are people with issues, and bad people. From all accounts, it seems he was the first kind of person.

One of his former teammates remembered him fondly as Tom Brady posted a highlight of Glenn catching the Patriots quarterback’s first career touchdown pass in 2001 en route to his first Super Bowl win.

Glenn isn’t a Hall of Fame player. But he has a spot in my memories, and left behind a real life, with real people.

He had nearly 9,000 yards receiving in his career and 44 touchdown catches. More importantly, he had six children, a fiancé, and his 83 Kids Foundation.

Moments like this remind us all about the people playing the game we love to watch and follow, and remember they don’t disappear when we turn off the television. Hopefully, it helps us all appreciate those around us just a little bit more.

I can only offer my sincerest condolences to those who knew and loved Mr. Glenn.

Rest in Peace, Terry.

Next: Bucs vs Falcons Game Changers

This brings a close to the first issue of our new NFL Hard Count. I thoroughly enjoyed opening my scope of writing to the rest of the league, and hope you were able to take something away from reading. Keep an eye out for Issue #2 coming next week. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving and have a good weekend.

If you have ideas for future topics of conversation please feel free to communicate those in the comments, on Facebook, Twitter, or via email at walkingtheplankpodcast@gmail.com.

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