You’ve likely already read the report from David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, so there isn’t any factual additions to that story. But I will add a few thoughts…
Piggybacking what Jim Salisbury has written – and he knows Howard a lot better than I do – this is a terrible situation.
No matter how much money a person makes, or if they’re part of the public eye, it doesn’t make a story like this any easier to read, as some have stated to me on social media.
It was easy to crush Howard for his play the last two seasons. His play, and body, are in full decline. This addition to the story of Ryan Howard makes sense. Aside from the injuries, you could tell that something was off about Howard this year, especially when he asked the media if they’d like to switch places with him. “Of course,” I thought to myself. I absolutely would change places with the Big Piece. Big house, nice-looking wife, great family, and a major league player. Upon hearing the details of the fracturing of his family, I change that stance.
It’s a tough situation that many people go through, but few as public as Howard. It’s not about how much money he’s may have lost, or the endorsements that were possibly lost because of his family’s behavior. It’s about the relationships lost here that are the worst part.
Sometimes the story extends beyond the baseball field. That’s unfortunate for Ryan Howard, coming at the worst possible time in his career, compounding all of the other issues in front of him. Can he recover from this? It’s certainly much different than a knee or achilles. Only time will tell.
