"We did have some in-depth talks. We never talked about it specifically," Coleman said after yesterday's training-camp afternoon session for rookies. "Every time we talked and we got in a conversation of football, he always would just say, 'Hit 'em in the mouth.' I think, playing this game of football, there are going to be some tragic things happen, and you've got to know that you're not doing it intentionally, and that's a part of the game. That's the game of football, and there was a time when I didn't want to play football because of it . . . I learned from it, I knew it wasn't my fault, and I thank God every moment that I'm here and I'm able to play this game."
Gentry, a walk-on punter and wideout, fell awkwardly after being tackled by Coleman. Gentry helped Coleman overcome his remorse and revulsion over the accident.
"I'm just blessed that he's still alive. He's doing a lot of great things for his life," said Coleman, who said he speaks with Gentry frequently. Tatum and Stingley never spoke from the time of their tragic encounter until Stingley's death in 2007.
Coleman said he cried when Gentry told him being paralyzed had made him a better person.
"He said, 'It's not your fault. It could have happened to anybody,' " Coleman recalled. "He's changed a lot of people's lives through his story and testimonies, and I think I've been able to share my story. It's been able to bring a lot of hope to people in the same situation."
Tatum had suffered from complications to diabetes, and lost a leg to amputation. Coleman said he couldn't picture Tatum, still vigorous when they last spoke, felled by heart trouble.
Catching up
Kevin Kolb was pleased to get a text from his predecessor, Donovan McNabb, as Kolb prepared to assume the reins at training camp.
Down in Virginia at Redskins camp, McNabb seemed to agree that texting Kolb was a pretty wonderful thing for him to have done.
