GRAND ISLAND, Neb. -- As authorities investigated the
shooting death of his father, John Parrella was on the field with
his teammates as the San Diego Chargers lost 57-31 Sunday to the
St. Louis Rams.
"The biggest thing is my family knew my father would be upset
if I didn't play," Parrella said in St. Louis.
The defensive lineman said he was emotional because he knew how
much his father loved the game.
"My father always said you've got to be accountable to your
job, your work, your family," he said. "This is my family, and I
wasn't going to let them come in here and play without me."
He planned to return to Nebraska until Wednesday, then rejoin
the team for Thursday's practice.
The death was difficult on many of the Chargers. Linebacker
Junior Seau called Friday's practice the toughest of his pro
career, defensive line coach Wayne Nunnely described feeling
intense anger and defensive end Raylee Johnson was momentarily
speechless when asked about the shooting.
"He was like a dad to me," Johnson told the San Diego
Union-Tribune. "He would throw these big hugs around you after
games whether we'd win or lose.
"I didn't know him long, but it was better to know him a little
rather than not at all, because he was a great example of what a
dad should be."
Hall County Sheriff Jerry Watson said investigators were
following "a tremendous number" of leads in the Friday shooting
death of Joe Parrella.
The elder Parrella's body was found by sheriff's deputies
responding to a home security alarm several hours before dawn
Friday at his home south of Grand Island. He had been shot twice.
Watson said callers have been reporting tips and names of people
who might have been angry with the 63-year-old Parrella, such as
disgruntled employees at the family's auto dealership.
"It's going to take a long time to get through all of the
information we've been given," Watson said.
A handgun was found near the body, authorities said, and tests
are being conducted to determine if it had been fired.
Preliminary results from an autopsy conducted in Omaha confirmed
Joe Parrella had been shot twice, but that only one of the wounds
would have been fatal.
Watson said investigators believe Parrella was investigating the
security alarm at his home when he was shot. It was not clear
whether someone had tried to break into the home when the shooting
happened.
Parrella's wife, Shirley, was in the house at the time of the
shooting.
John Parrella was a three-year letterman for Nebraska as a
defensive linemen, leading the Cornhuskers in tackles in 1992 with
77. The two-time All-Big Eight selection was drafted by the Buffalo
Bills in 1993 but joined the San Diego Chargers in 1994 and has
played defensive tackle for them since.
Funeral services for Parrella were set for Tuesday afternoon at
a church in Grand Island.
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