Getty Chiefs head coach Andy Reid
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was put in an awful situation on Thursday night after his son Britt was responsible for a life-threatening three-vehicle accident close to the team’s practice facility in Kansas City.
With the defending Super Bowl champions scheduled to fly to Tampa Bay on Saturday for a chance to hoist the Lombardi Trophy once more, travel plans were brought into question for both Reid’s given the circumstances.
According to ESPN’s Dianna Russini and confirmed by Yahoo Sports’ Terez Paylor on Saturday morning, the Chiefs head coach is expected to be on the team plane and coach against the Buccaneers on Sunday.
I’m told Andy Reid is expected to coach in the Super Bowl, as @diannaESPN reported.
As for Britt Reid, Russini also reported on Friday evening that he will not be with the team for Super Bowl LV as he — along with two young children involved in the crash — remains in a Kansas City area hospital recovering from undisclosed injuries.
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Britt Reid ‘Could Be Hospitalized for Days’
While the injuries sustained by Reid are not considered to be life-threatening, the Chiefs assistant linebackers coach could be in the hospital for days dealing with a “medical issue that developed at the scene but is not related to the accident,” a source told Russini.
The same cannot yet be said for a five-year-old who is battling life-threatening injuries and a four-year-old recovering from non-critical issues. Both children were seated in the back of the second stopped vehicle struck by Reid’s white RAM Laramie Sport pickup truck on an I-435 on-ramp just after 9:00 p.m. CT on Thursday.
Heavy has since verified the official Go Fund Me page accepting donations on behalf of family devasted by the crash.
According to the Kansas City Police Department, no charges have been filed against the 35-year-old Reid as of Friday evening, but driver impairment is currently under investigation. Any potential charges will not come until after Super Bowl Sunday and could span “two to three weeks” as part of the KCPD’s standard investigative timeline, per Russini.
Chiefs Showing ‘Good Energy,’ Clearing COVID Protocols
Prior to departure for Florida, Reid provided a brief update on the team’s final walk-thru to Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star.
“Good energy,” Reid told the Chiefs pool reporter. “It’s important to have that. This was just kind of a review day, so we go back through all the situations and make sure we have all those covered.”
Among those in attendance were Pro Bowl LT Eric Fisher, who suffered a torn Achilles in the AFC Championship win and was officially placed on injured reserve on Saturday.
“He’s a part of the team,” Reid said. “We got a lot of the guys that are a part of it and we ask them to come out. Fish is a big part of it. I mean, he’s a reliable guy and he’s been here a long time.”
Glad to see Eric Fisher getting to make the trip to Tampa. #Chiefs
Additionally, the team received the green light after its latest round of rapid PCR tests for COVID-19, which according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, are likely the last results the league will have to go off of prior to kickoff at 5:30 p.m. CT on Sunday.
Backup center Daniel Kilgore, the lone player who was still working his way through the league’s COVID protocols after a team barber tested positive midway through his haircut earlier in the week, was also cleared to suit up in the big game, Rapoport tweeted.
For extra precaution, most players and coaches, including Reid, will travel on a plane separate from other essential staff, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!