First-year Bears broadcaster Jeff Joniak may be at a loss for words Sunday.
“A football game seems so inconsequential at this point,” Joniak said on Wednesday. “In my opinion that seems disrespectful, no matter how much of a diversion from the tragedy it may provide for fans. A postponement or cancellation seems appropriate. How can I get excited about a play or be critical? It just doesn’t seem appropriate.”
The NFL is expected to announce its decision on Thursday whether to play this weekend’s games in the wake of Tuesday’s terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Respect factor: The Bears are scheduled to face Jacksonville on Sunday at Soldier Field. Jaguars receiver Jimmy Smith is conflicted about playing.
“That’s a tough one,” Smith said Wednesday. “I heard about what happened when [President Kennedy] got shot [in 1963] and how the NFL continued to play. Just going by that, I would maybe cancel games this week and resume the following week. Just out of respect for the people who are hit by this.
“We want to move on, but you look at it from both sides. Out of respect to those hit by it, you want to acknowledge that. But at the same time you want to resume a normal way of life.”
Anger management: Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin sounded in favor of playing the games on Sunday.
“Whatever is the right thing to do, I’m sure the commissioner and owners will decide and we’ll do that,” Coughlin said. “My initial reading is that President Bush would like for all Americans to resume and get on with it. If that’s the case, fine. We’re prepared to play. We don’t want to be disrespectful however.
“I told the players this morning that we all have tremendous emotion. Great anger. We would like to direct our anger at something, someone.”
Close call: Coughlin was touched directly by Tuesday’s tragedy.
“My son, Tim, works for Morgan Stanley. His offices were on the 60th floor of the second tower [of the World Trade Center] that was hit,” Coughlin said. “I got a call from my son, Brian, who had somehow, some way, got a call into Tim on his cell phone. Tim was on the 29th floor, on his way down at the exact time the second plane hit. He did not know that the second plane had hit. We got hold of him when he was on the ground, before he left the building. We knew he was down and on his way out the door. Then we talked to him when he was in a safe location as well.
“The tragedy drained the emotions of all of us.”
Plane truth: Many Americans may have trepidation about boarding an airplane in the near future after the hijackings and crashes on Tuesday.
“I’m sure it is going to be in the back of all of our minds, even though our planes are chartered,” said Jacksonville’s Smith. “It’s still a fact of just getting on a plane . . . it’s going to be in the back of our minds. It will be tough.”
Local angles: “Talking Women’s Basketball,” an annual fundraising seminar, will feature WMVP-AM’s Peggy Kusinski, the Tribune’s Melissa Isaacson and DePaul women’s basketball coach Doug Bruno.
The event will take place Oct. 5 at the St. Xavier University Convocation and Athletic Center. Call Bob Hallberg at 773-298-3109 for more information.
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fmitchell@tribune.com
