Suicide of teammate leaves mark on receiver
ASHBURN — He wants to move forward, and who can blame him? Looking back leads to pain and sorrow. Looking back returns Redskins receiver Jabar Gaffney to December, when his close friend and teammate committed suicide.
With a handgun Gaffney had sold to him.
A little more than seven months later, Gaffney still grapples with what happened. Kenny McKinley, a fellow Broncos receiver, shot and killed himself in part because he owed $105,000 in gambling debts. The 23-year-old also had landed on the injured reserve list for the second straight season and, according to reports, worried about the ability to take care of his young son financially.
| Redskins notes |
| » Tight end Chris Cooley(knee) and receiver Brandon Banks (knee) both are expected to return to practice Monday, coach Mike Shanahan said. Cooley had fluid drained from his left knee. “I’ve had to watch practice the last two days, and it drives me bonkers,” Cooley said. |
| » Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (knee), who has not practiced since July 29, said he’s hopeful he’ll return in a couple days. Shanahan originally said he hoped Kerrigan would miss only a couple days. But he now has missed seven practices. Meanwhile, right tackle Jammal Brown missed practice to attend a funeral. The Redskins also cut linebacker Robert Henson. |
| » Punter Sav Rocca finally arrived from Australia, reaching Washington late Friday afternoon. The trip took about 25 hours. He did not punt in practice. “My head was spinning last night,” said Rocca, who also will hold. Rocca remained in Australia working to get his visa. He said the process usually takes two to three weeks, but it only took five days this time. He needed to have a contract to start the process. |
| POSITION REVIEW |
| Offensive line |
| Chris Chester |
| The Redskins liked Chris Chester because he can run, which is obvious after watching him in practice. Chester gets outside quickly and can reach linebackers, a must in the stretch-zone scheme. He also did a nice job in one pass protection against a blitz. Because of his quick feet, he was able to bump a linebacker blitzing to his left and then reach back to throw off-stride another linebacker blitzing to his right. However, the knock on Chester in Baltimore was his strength, and he’s routinely lost one-on-one battles by getting moved back. |
| Erik Cook |
| The second-year Cook has spent all of camp at center, though he’ll also have to show that he can play guard, too. Cook’s problem is being able to stay low because he’s tall for a center at 6-foot-6. This could explain why he often gets stood up in individual drills, with any good lineman able to get underneath his pads. Cook struggled in an 11-on-11 session, especially vs. nose tackle Anthony Bryant. Cook also occasionally tips off pass plays by leaning backward a little bit before he snaps the ball. He’ll need a good preseason to prove he belongs on the roster. |
| Sean Locklear |
| The Redskins added necessary tackle depth by signing the veteran Locklear, who has started 78 games — mostly at right tackle — in the NFL. Before Locklear arrived, the Redskins lacked any legitimate alternative should one of their tackles get hurt. But Locklear does have experience playing in a zone-blocking system like what the Redskins run. He’s considered a good athlete but better in pass protection than as a run blocker. |
Gaffney went to the scene shortly after he learned what happened.
“It was tough. He was a great friend of mine,” Gaffney said.
But to move ahead, Gaffney looked back. He had sold the gun to McKinley for protection, a legal transaction. Eventually, Gaffney realized something else about the situation.
“It was hard for me, especially with our relationship and the fact that I sold him the gun,” he said. “It was for personal protection. Had I been able to look in the future three or four months, I would never have [sold] it to him. But you can’t do that.
“It’s an unfortunate part of life. As a team we had to move on, and personally for me I had to try and let that go and realize that whether it was that gun or another gun, if you want to be gone … He obviously didn’t want to be here, so he was going to do it.”
Part of moving on for Gaffney was changing teams. The Redskins know what he went through; they’re also not about to pry into the matter. They like what they see in him: a hard-working receiver who runs the right routes and has good hands.
“That’s a personal issue that comes with trust,” Redskins receivers coach Keenan McCardell said. “Once I don’t go out and just start to ask about it. It’s something that’s close to his heart, and that’s something that’ll come in time. It’s tough to go through.”
Regardless, Gaffney is here to catch passes. He caught 65 last season and has 375 receptions in his career.
“He’s a very experienced receiver, very crafty,” Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said.
“He’s gonna be in the right place at the right time and make plays,” McCardell said. “He’s one of those guys where you look up and he has every stat chart filled. You might think it’s a quiet day for him, and he might have five for 100 yards or five for 90, and you’re like, ‘Wow.’ He’s a pro.”
That’s one way Gaffney can heal. As he said, “I don’t want to look back.”
