RIP Tony Fein

[REBEL13]

He was a scary looking dude when he was lined up in the backfield. Would've made me sweat, if I was an opposing QB.
I was really pulling for him to make the Ravens with Oher. Tragic for sure.

[BigTrev34]

Im now bummed. The original landshark. This sucks.

[dave austin]

Anyone know if there will be a moment of silence or anything done in remembrance at the game Saturday?

[bleuwolfe]

RAVENS COACH JOHN HARBAUGH: It’s just a shock and we saddened. Tony Fein was a really good teammate. What he did in Iraq -- and we talked about this before with Tony when he went through what he went through this summer [the Inner Harbor incident] -- and we found out a couple of days ago that he was going to be vindicated on that. So, it speaks back to his character again. He’s a tremendous American. He’s a tremendous young man. He’s a Raven to us and always will be. We’re proud to have him here as part of our team. We were unbelievably disappointed about the news and we’re waiting to hear further details.

DERRICK MASON: I heard about it this morning in a team meeting. It’s unfortunate. My prayers and the team’s prayers go out to the family. We enjoyed him while he was here.

RAY LEWIS: You can speak about the man and the brief time we were around him. He was a humble young man. He was always searching for some type of direction. It’s really sad. Our heart definitely goes out to his family. It’s heartfelt when you wake up and get news like that with someone you just went to war with.

MICHAEL OHER (former college teammate): He's a great guy who has been in my thoughts. I accidentally called him a couple days ago. I texted him back and stuff. He's a guy who is always happy for you. He definitely loved the game of football and wanted to be a part of it. He's a good guy, he always had a smile on his face and kept guys laughing. He's a good guy who is going to be missed. It was heartbreaking. I went to battle with this guy. We shared victories together, so it was heartbreaking.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/blog/

Hope we do something Sa and also have a sticker for the helmets. He still has a lot of friends on the the team and I remember in an interview last yr. he talked about loving to play for Coach Nutt/ Nix and how glad he was he stayed to do so. God bless you Tony.

[------------------]

D@mmit. This makes this whole god-awful situation suck even more:

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/20 ... e-suicide/

Fein's death believed to be suicide

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on October 7, 2009 4:13 PM ET

Early Wednesday morning, Mike Florio mentioned the sad and sudden passing of former Ravens player Tony Fein, an Iraq veteran that tried to make the Ravens in training camp as a 27-year-old.

Former PFT staffer Aaron Wilson reports that an autopsy will be performed, and toxicology tests will be taken as there are concerns that something Fein ingested may have contributed to his death.

Results will not be known for 6-8 weeks.

Fein's Baltimore attorney Warren A. Brown told Wilson that it's believed Fein committed suicide.

"It's very sad," Brown said.

If Brown is right, the tragedy could spark further discussion on the best ways to help our young veterans. The U.S. Army reported earlier this year the highest rate of suicides among its soldiers since it began tracking the statistic 28 years ago.

We send our condolensces to Fein's friends and family during this difficult time.

[LCW]

Oh, man....

[bleuwolfe]

If Brown is right, the tragedy could spark further discussion on the best ways to help our young veterans. The U.S. Army reported earlier this year the highest rate of suicides among its soldiers since it began tracking the statistic 28 years ago.

says it all..God bless you, Tony

[done]

Before we start blaming his suicide on his service, let's also remember his NFL dreams had just been squashed. People who commit suicide have myriads of reasons and/or ailments. Let's not try and conclude cause and effect in situations that we know nothing about. We know nothing of his family medical history or his personal relationships, financial situation or anything.

No need for speculation...just prayer.

[P-nut]

Before we start blaming his suicide on his service, let's also remember his NFL dreams had just been squashed. People who commit suicide have myriads of reasons and/or ailments. Let's not try and conclude cause and effect in situations that we know nothing about. We know nothing of his family medical history or his personal relationships, financial situation or anything.

No need for speculation...just prayer.

Amen

[bleuwolfe]

Before we start blaming his suicide on his service, let's also remember his NFL dreams had just been squashed. People who commit suicide have myriads of reasons and/or ailments. Let's not try and conclude cause and effect in situations that we know nothing about. We know nothing of his family medical history or his personal relationships, financial situation or anything.

No need for speculation...just prayer.

dont think anyone is blaming it on his service - at least I'm not. But WAR is not just fought on a 'battlefield'. My father was a Marine and fought a war for 2 years and 7 months. He never talked about it - except to say once when I told him he was a hero - "all of the heros are dead". I know his nightmares never stopped, until the afternoon he died. Iraq may have had nothing to do with his death, but I doubt it helped any. RIP sweetie.

[rebelliousb]

Before we start blaming his suicide on his service, let's also remember his NFL dreams had just been squashed. People who commit suicide have myriads of reasons and/or ailments. Let's not try and conclude cause and effect in situations that we know nothing about. We know nothing of his family medical history or his personal relationships, financial situation or anything.

No need for speculation...just prayer.

Human nature to ask questions, wonder and speculate. No one blaming the war or the Military....but I hope you are not satisfied with the attention and care given these veterans (by the VA) when they return from hellish war conditions and circumstances. The fact is the suicide rate among Iraqi and Afghani war vets more than doubles the rest of the population. That doesn't mean Tony committed suicide or that if he did, the war caused it.

[done]

That doesn't mean Tony committed suicide or that if he did, the war caused it.

That is all I was saying...that we don't know. I would have said the same thing if we were speculating that he broke up with a girlfriend. This is not politics...this is tragedy and no place to inject political discussion. I will pray for his loved ones.

[rewalters]

Before we start blaming his suicide on his service, let's also remember his NFL dreams had just been squashed. People who commit suicide have myriads of reasons and/or ailments. Let's not try and conclude cause and effect in situations that we know nothing about. We know nothing of his family medical history or his personal relationships, financial situation or anything.

No need for speculation...just prayer.

Amen

Know what you are saying Chuck, but I have seen to many brethren that have had the same fate. Prayer is needed!

Like I said earlier, d***, just d***!

[rebelliousb]

That doesn't mean Tony committed suicide or that if he did, the war caused it.

That is all I was saying...that we don't know. I would have said the same thing if we were speculating that he broke up with a girlfriend. This is not politics...this is tragedy and no place to inject political discussion. I will pray for his loved ones.

guess I really didn't consider it politics, since I was criticizing the agency and not any party or politician... But the fact is whatever might have led to a suicide (and it may not be), a top notch VA mental health program for all war Vets could have caught it and possibly prevented it. Whatever the "cause" the VA fails young men like Tony Fein every day... And I think that's worth mentioning.