After suffering a paralyzing injury in 1992, the Jets defensive lineman walked again, becoming the most inspirational figure in team history. But his was a challenging, complicated life cut short by a tragic ending
ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. — On a recent Saturday morning, a father and his 12-year-old son left home to visit a friend. They climbed into an outsized black Hummer H2, buckled their seat belts and drove through the pumpkin-decorated front gate of their family’s 140-acre ranch in the rural plains northeast of Tulsa. Shortly after 11 a.m. they were headed south on State Highway 88, a two-lane road where the speed limit is 65 mph and the broken yellow line allows for passing.