For Edina community, eight becomes more than a number

As the Edina High School varsity football team walked onto the Rosemount field with heavy hearts and minds, a sticker of the number 8 in blue and white was proudly displayed on the backs of their helmets. This sticker honored Ethan Glynn, a football player at Bloomington-Jefferson High School and brother of EHS varsity player Parker Durkin, who suffered a spinal cord injury from a tackle made during early September this season. The injury resulted in his paralyzation from the shoulders down.

“I was heartbroken. Like immediately heartbroken. I think that knowing Parker and his parents and getting to know them over the last two years made it even more close to home,” Jason Potts, EHS head varsity football coach, said.

After being a coach for 13 years across the nation, Potts had never seen such a traumatic injury. “You know, you get heartbroken when you hear about those injuries in any sport or any activity that happens. Because as a teacher and a coach, we love kids,” he said. “When some unfortunate freak accident happens like that, it's hard to take and I think it hit a little closer to home too because it's in a sport that I absolutely love.” He emphasized that although many people perceive football to be a sport ridden with injuries, the severity level usually does not get anywhere close to Glynn’s injury.

It is especially difficult when the person affected is so loved by the people. “Ethan was coming to our games and he was friends with guys on our team, and so definitely had a stronger impact than if it was just a news story,” Potts said.

When seeing a headline, many can see it and then continue with their days. However, with an injury of a friend and a fellow player, many can be left reeling. “It's just difficult I think for everyone that plays football to see stuff like that happen,” Mason Chamberlain, EHS varsity football player and friend of Durkin, said. Edina’s first game following Glynn’s injury, which was against Rosemount, brought new mental blocks for the team. “We were just down. It was on our minds. … I could feel our players [getting emotional] as well and it's hard, especially since it's a football injury,” Potts said. “You're kind of thinking, well, what could happen to me? … We had a heavy heart and a lot on our minds. And we still do.”

“It really hit me hard because I love football and I'm good friends with Parker,” Chamberlain said. Still, many of the players on the Edina team supported Durkin and his family following the injury, “embracing” them and providing “lots of love”.

The football team weren’t the only ones to show up for the Durkin-Glynn family, though. The Edina community as a whole was quick to support the Durkin-Glynn family and show their unwavering confidence in Ethan. “You just hear of all these supportive things and I was being contacted just nonstop. [People asking] how can I help? What can I do?” Potts said. “And I think Ethan's going to be on our minds for a long time, for the rest of our season and beyond.”

Through the help of Edina football parents, wristbands and stickers sporting Ethan’s jersey number, eight, and Bloomington-Jefferson colors were spread throughout the football team and the Edina community. “I thought it was really cool. I felt like it was a cool way to show love to Ethan and represent in a positive way,” Potts said, while showing his wristband.

The wristbands, organized by Chamberlain’s mom, can be found on the wrist of almost every football player on the team. Chamberlain believes that this is a great way to show solidarity with the family. “I feel like that would touch [Parker] in a way, or maybe sort of seeing all that support would help him and his family a little bit,” Chamberlain said.

The week following Ethan’s injury, the team stuck number eight stickers onto the back of every helmet. “We got [them] right before the [Rosemount] game … like 30 minutes before the game. So we put them on the back of our helmets and made sure every helmet had one on there, and so they'll stay on for the rest of the year,” Potts said.

With different resources including the GoFundMe, the hashtag “#wegotyou8” on social media, and the stickers on Edina’s helmets, the community support for Ethan and his family shows how invested many are in helping the family. “I'd say it's more of an entire football community type of thing, [where] everyone's supporting,” Chamberlain said.

Potts wanted to emphasize to the Durkin-Glenn family that “we’re all with you, all the way and if there’s anything we can do as a community, and as a coach, and as a team, we’re ready and willing.”