Body of Michael Philbin, Son of Green Bay Packers Coach, Found
The body of Michael Philbin, the 21-year-old son of Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, has been found, according to reports.
Police have been searching for Michael Philbin since Sunday evening. The Winnebago County Dive Team recovered the body 30 yards from shore and brought the body to shore about 3 p.m. Monday from the Fox River in Oshkosh, Wis., about 50 miles south of Green Bay, according to the Huffington Post. Oshkosh police said they would not publicly identify Philbin until Tuesday, after family had been notified.
The large-scale search effort was launched after an Axle Tech security guard called police about 2:30 a.m. to report he had heard someone calling for help from the Fox River. Reports say Joe Philbin was visiting friends at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.
Oshkosh police also told reporters that foul play was not suspected.
Michael Philbin is the second-oldest of six children to Joe Philbin and his wife, Diane.
Joe Philbin's loss comes as the Green Bay Packers are preparing for Sunday's NFC divisional playoff game game against the New York Giants.
The Philbin family's obviously going through a tough time right now, and as we always have, we're a family-first philosophy with our organization, with our program, said Packers coach Mike McCarthy in a somber tone during his regularly scheduled Monday news conference. So we're supporting Joe and his family the best we can, and we're holding out hope that this comes to a positive conclusion.
McCarthy also confirmed Monday that Philbin was away from the team and in Oshkosh, according to ESPN.com. He stated further that he has contingency plans in place to prepare for Sunday's game if Philbin remains away from the team.
We're prepared to do whatever we need to do as a staff to make sure our team's ready to go, McCarthy said. We'll be ready to go.
Some Packers players offered their condolences on Twitter:
As children we all have to someday say goodbye to our parents, but a parent should never have to say goodbye to their child, said offensive lineman T.J. Lang, whose father, Thomas, died last week.
Life is too short, tweeted Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji. Live in the present.
Joe Philbin has been a part of the Packers organization since 2003 and has been the team's offensive coordinator since 2007.
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