While Jags prepare to play, Collier always on their minds
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- His looked like the other lockers in the Jacksonville Jaguars locker room, complete with eight pairs of shoes, a helmet, a No. 76 practice jersey and, of course, the player's trademark can of dip.
There was just one thing missing.
The player.
Richard Collier wasn't sitting at his locker Wednesday, but instead was in a hospital down the road fighting for his life, and, believe this, it's a fight he's facing long odds to win, according to team sources.
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| Jags LB Clint Ingram spent 14 hours at the hospital with teammate and friend Richard Collier. (US Presswire) |
On the seat in front of his locker sat a reminder of Collier's fight for his life. On it, somebody had placed a religious pamphlet. The words on the cover read: "Our Daily Bread."
Standing next to that locker, Jaguars linebacker Clint Ingram talked to the media. The two are close, real close. They dressed side-by-side every day. The empty locker and the quiet that came with it were more reminders to Ingram that his friend wasn't there. He spent 14 hours at the hospital Tuesday with his fallen friend.
"I see him every day and joke and play until it's time to go out on the field and then when it's time to come back in, we're joking and playing again," Ingram said. "Just not being able to talk to him ... We talk all day. We get out of practice and once we get in our cars, we call each other and talk all the way home. I don't have any brothers in my family, so I kind of have a bond with different people I'm close with. We're real close. He'll be all right."
That's the hope. They pray that it comes true. But the reality is that Collier's injuries are serious. The only report on his condition came Tuesday when it was made public that he was stable but in critical condition. He has undergone surgery. There is no word on what part of his body took the gunshots.
The Collier family is asking that information about his condition be withheld, but privately inside the Jaguars locker room and among team sources, there is major concern about Collier's status.
Police still don't have a suspect in custody, but the most important thing on the mind of the Jaguars' players as they prepare to play the Tennessee Titans Sunday was Collier's life, not justice.
"It's a real sad feeling around here and around the house," Jaguars tackle Tony Pashos said. "It's rough. Rich is fighting for his life."
Pashos said the news of Collier's shooting was a jolt. But he said it really hit him when the offensive linemen gathered for their morning meeting Wednesday. He looked over and saw an empty seat, Collier's seat.
