RIP Paul Needell AKA Shockey

RIP, Shockey.
Always a great poster.

 

RIP

A great poster.

 

I have fallen in and out of love with this place 1,000 times, but this is one of those times that makes me very sad, and very happy for the many years spent here. shockey and I had a few snarky exchanges over the years. The classic case of the savvy veteran beat guy and the youngish longform guy seeing the world from different of POVs. But he definitely brought so much value to the place, so much institutional knowledge. When you think about how much institutional knowledge we've lost in recent years just with the death of spnited, SF Express, and now shockey, it kinda breaks your heart.

This is one of the best examples I've ever seen on SJ of someone pointing out a PRACTICAL sports journalism tip that every young (and many old) writers should read. It came in the middle of a thread talking about how much press conferences suck, and shockey told a story about getting Brett Favre for a quick one-on-one the week of the Super Bowl without tipping other beat guys off as to what he was working on. It's one of the best pieces of advice to ever appear here.

Pearlman: 'Press conferences suck' | Page 3 | SportsJournalists.com

Godspeed, shockey. Please tell me you and Craig and Ron are somewhere with a drink, telling stories and laughing already.

 

I recently noticed shockey -- to me, one of those posters whose 'voice' is memorable -- hadn't been around in a while. To learn why leaves me saddened and reflective. My mother is afflicted with MS and I am acquainted with the helpless deterioration it can cause. Damn. May you rest in peace and your family find peace.

 

Outing alert: Shockey is Paul Needell. It stinks we have to say that because he's gone.

RIP Paul.

 

Very sad news. Only knew him as "shockey" through this site, but his posts about the NFL showed the depth of his experience. And his openness about his family and his love for them was inspiring to read.

R.I.P, shockey.

 

MS is a bitch. Just a terrible disease, and it sucks to see what it does to people.

And, SJ.com might have its good and its bad, but I think we all know that it meant a lot to Shockey. To be able to engage and debate a bunch of smart, opinionated must have really helped when he was homebound. And, even though he was sometimes teased about it, it this was a place where he could talk about his wife, and his three sons.

And, we could all tell how much he loved those boys, and how proud of them he was.

And, you could tell how much he hated that his disability prevented him from helping his wife around the house, especially when they were expecting family for the holidays.

 

Overwhelmingly sad to hear of Paul's passing. Keeping his family and friends in mind, and remembering his generosity of spirit here.

 

Paul's messages after Craig died about loss, grief, and going forward were so helpful.

My thoughts are with his wife and children.

 

Paul was a voice to be respected on here and well beyond. Always. He understood the world.

RIP to a good man.

 

We didn't get along on this board but we did in real life decades ago as colleagues. RIP.

 

Damn. This just sucks.

RIP Shockey.