[joecrisp]

This story explains a lot about Coles's demeanor, particularly around the press. He was one of the most unapproachable players I'd ever met; you could see him physically tense-up and bristle whenever the press approached him. He always avoided making eye contact, giving brief and often curt answers to reporters' questions.

It's obvious now that much of that behavior was a product of the defense-mechanism he's developed from coping with such an emotionally damaging trauma.

I sincerely feel bad for him now, especially since I had developed a genuine dislike for the guy while dealing with him as a member of the press for two years, then hearing how he treated Joe Gibbs and the team leading up to his departure.

When you find out that someone has been carrying the burden of such a dark and painful secret in their life, it totally changes your perspective on all their past behaviors, and forces you to think twice next time the impulse to judge may strike.