The message was a couple of days old by the time I played it. I hadn't been answering my phone that week in December 2006 unless the call related to funeral arrangements. My mother had died a few days earlier after a fight with cancer, and I didn't want to talk to anyone. But the voicemails had piled up, so I pressed play. All were from longtime friends and relatives—except one.
"Hi, Andy, this is Jeremy Foley…"
At the time, I covered Florida sports for The Tampa Tribune. Florida's athletic director had called me plenty for work-related reasons.