Sure, Scottie Montgomery had his own football team to worry about last year.
But that didn’t stop the East Carolina coach from heading to Durham, where he’d previously played and coached at Duke, to come to the aid of an ailing former player.
Quarterback Thomas Sirk’s playing career was in peril after tearing yet another Achilles’ tendon. And Montgomery had to see him.
“I didn’t know that he would play again,” said Montgomery, who was a Duke assistant for six years (2006-09, 2014-15).
When Montgomery saw him, he hugged Sirk’s neck, looked him in the eye and wished him the best of luck with the long recovery process Sirk knew all too well.