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Players shocked by Upshaw's death(Newsday (Melville, NY) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The death of NFL union leader Gene Upshaw stunned Giants and Jets players and coaches on Thursday. Few, if any, knew Upshaw's health was failing. Shaun O'Hara, the Giants' player representative, initially thought someone was playing a cruel joke. "I came in at 8 a.m. and a teammate mentioned he saw something on MSNBC," O'Hara said at Giants Stadium. "And I thought it had to be a hoax because it was all of a sudden. I tried to search online . . . and (learned) it was true. It was very sad to hear." After Tom Coughlin told his players the news, they observed a moment of silence. Coughlin didn't know Upshaw personally but seemed taken aback. "The National Football League is deeply saddened by the loss of Gene Upshaw," the coach said. "It is a shock to most of us, not even knowing that he was ill. He is a Hall of Famer. He has been in the position of leadership for the Players Association for 25 years. He is a guy that has earned his stripes, so to speak. And (it was) very, very difficult to learn this and not even know there was anything wrong." At Jets camp, player rep Brandon Moore credited the former Raiders guard for making the NFLPA what it is despite facing his share of criticism. "He built it up . . ." Moore said. "He was the man who started it and got it organized with a lot of help from other people. His services to the league for five decades won't be questioned. His services to the players won't be questioned. "I think he'll be remembered as a guy that had the best interest of the players and took a stand." Jets fullback Tony Richardson, vice president of the NFLPA's executive committee, also saluted Upshaw. "We've come a long way as a union, and as a league," he said. "Gene was just a fixture. He's been there since the beginning, as a Hall of Fame player and as a union leader. "We're kind of at a loss for words because it really caught all of us off guard." ___ (c) 2008, Newsday. Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com/ Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. _____ PHOTO (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): GENE UPSHAW For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. Copyright ? 2008 Newsday |