New England mourns the passing of former wide receiver Darryl Stingley, who played for the Patriots up until August 12, 1978, when during a game against the Oakland Raiders he was hit hard from behind by Raiders safety Jack Tatum. The hit left Stingley paralyzed. The news of his passing was first reported in the Chicago Tribune.
"The Kraft family and the entire New England Patriots organization is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Darryl Stingley. He was a great player and an even better person. We extend heartfelt condolences to the Stingley family. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of Darryl's friends and family who will mourn his loss," said team spokesman Stacey James.
In his blog, Mike Reiss of the *Boston Globe * offers some quotes from former Patriots QB Steve Grogan, who reflects on his memories of Darryl Stingley.
"Darryl was a wonderful guy, a fun guy to be around, a real joy to have as a teammate," Grogan said. "When I came up as a rookie [in 1975], he was a veteran wide receiver and one of the leaders of the team. He set the tone at practice and was someone you enjoyed being around. To have the injury be so serious, in '78, it was devastating to all of us."
Boston.com features a story written by Ron Borges on the 25th anniversary of Darryl Stingley's injury that left him paralyzed.
Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel used *NFL.com* as a forum to relay his dissatisfaction with contract negotiations. The *Boston Globe*, *Boston Herald* and *Sun Chronicle* also offer reports on Samuel's contract negotiations.
