Terry Glenn still ranks eighth on the New England Patriots’ all-time receiving list and caught Tom Brady’s first touchdown pass back in 2001 against the San Diego Chargers
Former NFL wide receiver Terry Glenn died in a car accident in Irving, Texas on Monday morning at the age of 43, according to multiple reports.
A columnist with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirmed the news with a member of Irving’s fire department. The Irving Police Department has yet to respond for requests for comment.
‘Man….#RIP to my former teammate Terry Glenn, who passed away this morning due to a car accident,’ tweeted Glenn’s former teammate, offensive lineman Damien Woody. ‘Praying for his family.’
Bill Belichick, who was named head coach of the New England Patriots in 2000, reacted to the news during a conference call with reporters on Monday.
‘Obviously, it’s a very unfortunate passing and it’s a sad day,’ Belichick said, according to the Boston Herald.
A first-round pick of the New England Patriots out of Ohio State in 1996, Glenn went on to be named to two Pro Bowls and ultimately caught the first touchdown pass of quarterback Tom Brady’s career in 2001.
A first-round pick by the New England Patriots in 1996, Glenn went on to help the team to its second AFC crown and an appearance in Super Bowl XXXI, where they lost to Green Bay
Former Patriots center Damien Woody shared his condolences on Twitter
Glenn, who began the season on a drug suspension, would later be traded Patriots and never received a Super Bowl ring after New England went on to win the franchise’s first title.
Despite the unceremonious exit from New England, Glenn still had five more productive NFL seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys. Glenn finished his career in 2006 with an impressive 70-catch season in which he accumulated 1,047 yards and six touchdowns.
Glenn ranks eighth on New England’s all-time receiving list with 4,669 receiving yards with the team.
His time in New England is also known for an incident in which he was famously referred to as ‘she’ by former coach Bill Parcells in 1996.
Parcells had been asked about Glenn’s injury status, to which he said, ‘she’s doing fine.’
Despite disparaging Glenn, Parcells hired his former receiver as an intern when the Hall of Fame coach was working as the Miami Dolphins Vice President in 2009.
As a rookie in 1996, Glenn and quarterback Drew Bledsoe connected an impressive 90 times for 1,132 yards and six touchdowns as the Patriots went on to win the AFC before losing to the Packers in the Super Bowl.
Terry Glenn had been retired since the 2008 season, when he recorded 70 receptions and 1,047 yards with the Dallas Cowboys
Belichick explained Monday that he knew Glenn well while working as an assistant under Parcells in New England.
‘Yeah, well, I was pretty close with Terry,’ Belichick said. ‘His rookie season was my first year here, so I had a lot of interaction with him and other people that were involved in his life and his upbringing separate from the Patriots.
‘Terry’s a very smart individual,’ Belichick continued. ‘Had obviously a lot of physical skill and talent. Could do a lot of things on the football field very naturally. I think was deep down inside a good person with good intentions and a good heart.’
Glenn won the Fred Biletnikoff award as the country’s best collegiate receiver in 1995 and was also named an All-American that season. He recorded 64 catches for the Buckeyes in 1995 while accumulating 1,411 receiving yards – the second most in any single season in Ohio State history.
Glenn was released by the Cowboys in 2008 over concerns about his injured right knee. He never played in the NFL again.
He stayed in North Texas after retirement and started the 83 Kids Foundation, which was a foundation aimed at linking donors with non-profit organizations nationwide.
Glenn leaves behind a fiancee and six children – Terry Jr., 20, Natalie, 14, Samantha, 12, Christian, 10, Vanessa, 8 and Greyson, 6 months – according to the Fort Worth-Star Telegram.
Glenn was released by the Cowboys in 2008 over concerns about his injured right knee. He stayed in North Texas after retirement and started the 83 Kids Foundation, which was a foundation aimed at linking donors with non-profit organizations nationwide