It’s hard to stop thinking about Dennis Byrd. On Saturday, with his son in his car, the 50-year-old former Jets defensive lineman was killed when he was struck head-on by another car on a highway in Oklahoma. Twenty-four years ago Byrd, one of the best interior linemen in football, was left paralyzed after colliding with a teammate in a game against Kansas City. To understand why I couldn’t stop thinking about Byrd all day Sunday, understand that after he was injured in November 1992, SIassigned me to write a story about Byrd and the outpouring of love and affection for a fairly nondescript (but very good) player.
R.I.P. Dennis Byrd
