National Football League

Buzz: Tom Coughlin coaches on

Published Sep. 19, 2013 1:00 a.m. ET

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Sam Gardner

The sudden death of John Coughlin, the brother of New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin, was tragic enough without the benefit of specifics that emerged Wednesday.

But now details are starting to emerge concerning exactly how the beloved Meadowlands Racetrack horse trainer passed, and you can’t help but want to cry harder for everyone who knew and loved him.

In a moving piece at NJ.com, Steve Politi describes how John Coughlin was on the Giants sideline, watching his older brother coach in the team’s loss to the Denver Broncos. After the game, he stopped for a couple beers at Redd’s, a bar just outside the MetLife Stadium grounds.

Here's more, from Politi:

He figured he would play it safe and take a cab to his Hackensack apartment. "I expected him to walk in the door any second," his longtime companion Suzanne Malloy said Wednesday, and when he never did, she called his cell phone.

"You better get down here!" an unfamiliar voice said after answering the phone. It was the panicked cab driver. John Coughlin had tripped and hit his head on the ground after paying his fare, and was bleeding badly.

He was already on the stretcher when Malloy got outside, about to be loaded into the ambulance. The head injury, combined with his prescription blood thinners, had caused swelling in his brain.

On Monday morning, Tom Coughlin, 67, was notified of his 63-year-old brother’s condition, and on Monday night, John Coughlin died with his family by his side. Then on Wednesday, Coughlin was back to work, coaching his team.

He’ll coach against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and then on Tuesday, he’ll bury his brother in Waterloo, N.Y.

According to Politi, Coughlin addressed his brother's death with the team, telling them, "that time on this earth is precious and don’t allow yourself to think otherwise," and then, according to Giants captain Justin Tuck, "he went right into the gameplan."

It’s not really for me to say whether Tom Coughlin should or shouldn’t be coaching this weekend so soon after the shocking death of his only brother. Everyone grieves differently, and clearly this is what he feels is best for him.

But what I can say is that Coughlin, as tough as he is on the outside, is the most identifiable member of a family that needs some support right now. So whether it’s through prayer or some other means, it probably wouldn’t hurt to send some his way.

Now, for some links:

• So, how far did Rocky really run in Rocky II?

• Miami's 60-point spread against Savannah State is one of the largest in college football history.

• Mets pitcher and Qualcomm shill Matt Harvey had a strange appearance on the Dan Patrick Show Wednesday, but at least he apologized for it later:

• Love this gag put on by the Cardinals in their dugout:

• The Florida Panthers have reportedly found a buyer — and he's from New York.

• Charlie Villanueva says he was conned out of $250,000 by former UConn Huskies player Tate George.

• If this doesn’t make you want to go to USC, I don’t know what will:

• In case you missed it, here’s Kenan Thompson reenacting his Mighty Ducks ‘knucklepuck’ scene on FS1:

• Note to thieves: When trying to outrun a cop, make sure he's not a marathon runner.

• Urban Meyer's daughter is dating a wide receiver at Georgia Tech.

• The Memphis grizzlies released a pretty cool season promo video:

• Alex Morgan, Hope Solo — po-tay-to, po-tah-to:

• The New York Times put out an incredible feature on an MMA fighter who faked his death.

• Nick Saban thinks Ricky Williams would make a good coach.

• Hey, at least they have Trent Richar— oh, actually, sorry about that:

• Speaking of Trent Richardson, that’s one heck of a way to learn you’ve been traded:

• Mychal Kendricks took over the Eagles’ Twitter account Wednesday, and I have to say, it was a real gas:

• Twins pitcher Scott Diamond has gone seven straight starts with one or zero strikeouts.

• Here's a cool story about an armless female bodybuilder.

• The most stunning part about this 49ers fan punching a Seahawks fan Sunday is that the Seahawks fan did nothing to retaliate:

• Here’s a cool time lapse video of an enormous new scoreboard going up at Denver’s Pepsi Center:

• The Oakland A's will add 12,000 seats for the playoffs by removing the tarps in the upper deck. Now if only they could fix that sewage problem.

• Pacers star Paul George says he intends to sign a long-term extension with the team before the season.

• It’s a little unsettling to watch this Japanese high school volleyball coach slap a player 13 times in 16 seconds, and that’s before you learn that he hasn't been punished for it:

• Tony Dungy says Kirk Cousins gives the Redskins a better chance to win than RG3 right now:

• Some FSU fans are selling a shirt that depicts Jameis Winston as Jesus.

• Here's a clever idea: Rename River Ave., outside Yankee Stadium, in honor of Mariano Rivera.

• Enjoy this best sports Vines compilation:

• And finally, witness FS1’s own Andy Roddick, doing us proud with his sick dance moves:

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