http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/
FROM KEITH GROLLER
I don't know how many watched the Dolphins-Bucs game on ESPN on Monday night, much less the preview show.
But if you watched it, you may have seen a wonderful five-minute segment on former Lehigh wide receiver Ryan Spadola, who is now on the Miami practice squad.
Reporter Rick Reilly told a story that was never revealed during Spadola's time at Lehigh. And as you watched the piece, you realized why Ryan was never comfortable talking about it.
His father, Don, who was a Secret Service agent who protected several presidents including Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, committed suicide while Ryan was in high school.
When he was at Lehigh, Ryan (seen in photo at left in the 2010 FCS playoffs against Delaware) wanted to focus on his career. As Lehigh's beat reporter for The Morning Call, I knew he had lost his father during his high school career but certainly not the circumstances.
One time at the weekly media sessions I asked Ryan about his father and he did tell me that he was inspired by him and always wanted to make him proud. However, I remember doing the story on Nov. 29, 2011, five years to the day that his father died.
But Ryan, understandably so, didn't get into the circumstances.
Now I understand why.
He broke down at one point during a taped sitdown with Reilly.
While Ryan has moved forward and is doing his best to make his father proud, you can tell that his passing has left an emotional scar that may never fully heal.
This was a poignant piece that concluded with Ryan coming to a certain level of understanding and closure in the whole tragedy. It was a well-crafted piece that pulled at the heartstrings and gave you a new appreciation of this young man.
Spadola went through a lot of adversity in what was largely a stellar career at Lehigh. You might remember "Tweetgate" during the 2011 playoffs when he was suspended for the playoff game at North Dakota State for retweeting a tweet that included a racial slur.
And then he was at half-strength for a good portion of the 2012 season and even missed a couple of games battling pneumonia. Whatever came his way, he persevered.
The adversity has continued for him this year. Back in the spring, he was snubbed in the NFL Draft even though most expected him to be a late-round selection.
But he signed a free-agent contract the day after the draft and worked extremely hard, had a solid preseason, and earned a spot on the Jets opening-day roster,
He didn't get much time with the Jets and did have a key drop in the rain in a Thursday night game against the Patriots. Hopefully, that didn't have anything to do with it, but he was cut by the team on Oct. 5.
He was picked up by Miami and will hopefully get another shot. This guy can play and it's hard to imagine him not being able to help someone.
This was a special player at Lehigh and a special person. But until Monday, I just didn't know how special.
Here's a link to a video of the segment, thanks to Lehigh super fan Joe Klosek:
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